The Classical Side of Love
by Jyuami
Summary: Shizuru is the second violinist in the famous string quartet Elysium. As the group ends their tour, they meet one of their biggest fans, Kuga Natsuki. However unlike any typical fan, Natsuki has never been concerned with what her idols actually look like.
1. Chapter 1

**The Classical Side of Love**

**Summary**: MO/MH AU. Shizuru is the second violinist in the famous string quartet Elysium. As the group ends their tour, they meet one of their biggest fans, Kuga Natsuki. However unlike any typical fan, Natsuki has never been concerned with what her idols actually look like, since all she ever cared about is the music.

**AN**: The group Elysium is based off of the British string quartet Bond. If you don't know who they are, I strongly urge you to check them out, believe me, they are amazing! Also a lot of the songs I will refer to in this comes from them.

Also I haven't given up on My Musume, but rather I just want to work on something less dramatic and angst filled. LOL. ;)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the series Mai HiME or Mai Otome, Sunrise does. Also I do not own the song Dream a Dream by Charlotte Church and Billy Gram, and any of the songs referenced belongs to their perspective owners.

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Prologue

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Sleeping softly in a plush bed, surrounded by teddy bears and plush doggies, a small child hugged a plush wolf as she slept. Her golden blonde hair reflected the hallway lights as the door to her room was slightly ajar. Smiling in her sleep, the young six year old child snuggled closer to the large plush wolf. She was content in her dreams, resting peacefully until the other occupants of the house started yelling, causing the girl to wake with a start.

"You will respect me as your father!" A deep voice of boomed, and startled the little girl awake. Clutching the wolf doll tighter, blue eyes darted around her room wildly.

"The hell I will! You're not my father!" the voice of a young girl shouted back. It was her older sister. Gasping, the six year old on the bed quickly moved from the warm covers and dashed to the open door.

She heard her father yell back, _"Damn right I'm not your father! He left your mother when she was three months pregnant with you!"_ They were arguing again. Hugging the stuffed toy wolf tighter, blue eyes began to tear up. They were always fighting lately, ever since Mommy got into a car accident two months ago and had to stay in the hospital.

"We were doing fine with out you!" The voice of her sister shouted in frustration. There was the sound of a loud 'thud.' It was probably her sister throwing things at their father again, as she did that when she was frustrated. Feeling dread creep into the pit of her stomach, the little girl pushed the door open, intent on rushing to her sister's side. However when she opened the door, she was stopped in her tracks as her guardian blocked her path.

Looking up pleadingly into dark crimson eyes, the little girl's lip quivered as she tried not the cry. "Miyu, father and Onee-chan are fighting again!"

"You ungrateful child!" a loud slap echoed through out the house. _"You were nothing but a bastard child, and I took you in!"_ Blue eyes widened in fear as the little girl heard the scuffle take place downstairs. Tears were streaming down her eyes as the six year old tried to push past Miyu again.

The effort was in vain as the cyan haired woman knelt down, and hugged the little girl to keep her from going downstairs. "You mustn't go downstairs Alyssa-Ojou-sama."

"I don't need you! I don't need to take your shit!" The front door slammed open against the wall. Alyssa struggled to break free of the embrace and run to her sister, but she was too small, and too weak, to overpower her guardian.

"Natsuki! If you walk out that door, don't you dare come back!" the voice of the only man in the house shouted from downstairs. Miyu held Alyssa tight as she sobbed, and repeatedly pounded her little fist on the cyan haired woman's shoulder. It was hard for Miyu, but she was charged to protect Alyssa.

"Screw you bastard!" Natsuki's frustrated voice yelled back as the front door slammed shut.

"Onee-chan! Onee-chan! Miyu let me go! Oneeeee-chan! Oneeeeeee-chaaaaaan!" Crying hard and yelling for her sister loudly, Alyssa refused to be comforted as she continued to struggle against Miyu. She did not know if her sister could hear her, and so she yelled louder. Alyssa yelled and cried for her Onee-chan, but her sister did not return. Instead her father came up the stairs and looked at his sobbing child sadly.

"Alyssa-chan, why are you crying?" His blue eyes looked at the sobbing girl as he spoke softly to his daughter. However his little girl, the one that looked so much like him, did not, and would not, stop calling for her sister. The blonde man sighed as he watched his daughter cry herself to exhaustion. He had tried to comfort Alyssa too, but she had pushed him away. Not knowing what else to do, he turned tired blue eyes the cyan haired woman. "Miyu, please take care of her tonight." He did not wait for her acknowledgement, as he knew he could count on Miyu not leaving his daughter's side.

Alyssa did not see her father walk away, as she was still clutching Miyu tightly, too tired to struggle free. "Onee-chan…*hic*…Onee..*sniff*…chan…*hic, hic*…Onee-chaann…*sniff*" although her cries were muffled by Miyu's embrace, Alyssa never stopped calling out for her sister.

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Chapter One

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Sitting on plush chairs, five beautiful women sat gracefully as they waited for the camera man to signal the start of the live broadcast. The man operating the large camera signaled three seconds with his finger…two…one. The red light atop the camera flashed on as the host of the show turned in his chair and smiled handsomely at the camera. "Welcome back to the Earl's Morning Show. You just saw an exclusive performance by Earl's sensational string quartet, _Elysium _playing one of their hits, _Duel. _I'm your host, Rei Kanzaki, with special guests _Elysium.__"_Applause rang out as the camera panned out from the host to capture the five beautiful guests. "Starting from the left, allow me to introduce you lovely ladies to our audience, and those of you just tuning in."

Turning in his chair, Rei Kanzaki motioned to the young woman with stylishly chaotic rust brown hair. Tilting her glasses up a bit, the young woman smiled at the camera. "We have Yukino Chrysant, age: 21, from our very own Windbloom City. She plays the Viola, and I must say: you do a very good job at it. To her left, we have Chie Hallard on Cello. Also from Windbloom City, she's currently 21." Chie gave a boyish grin and wink at the camera before the lens moved on to the tallest of the group.

Sweeping back chocolate brown hair and smiling seductively at the camera, lavender eyes sparkled playfully. "Anh Lu from An Nam. I understand you play the First Violin, and you've recently turned 23 too. From everyone here at Earl's Morning Show, we'd like to wish you a happy birthday." The host earned a flirtatious wink and thank you from Anh, before he turned to the last two seated women closest to him. "We also have Shizuru Fujino from Zipang, on the Second Violin. I believe you're to turn 22 later this year." Seeing a polite nod from the chestnut haired woman, the handsome man turned to his last guest, the one sitting closest to him.

"And finally, Elysium's poster child, and Earl's favorite singer, The Golden Angel: Alyssa Kruger!" Smiling indulgently at the youngest guest, the talk show host leaned atop his desk as he spoke to the young blonde child. "So tell me Alyssa-chan, you've recently turned 10, and you've been on tour with Elysium for almost a year now. How does it feel to be so far away from the Aries Republic?"

Smiling up at the older man, and chuckling at the way the light reflected off of his bald head, Alyssa nodded to the camera. "Well Rei-san, I have to admit I do miss home a bit, but I love touring with Elysium."

Nodding at the girl's polite answer, Rei turned to Anh Lu. "Anh tell me, as the leader of this amazing group, what possessed you to choose Alyssa-chan to be the group's vocalist?"

Smiling playfully at the host, and turning slightly in her seat, Anh answered sweetly. "Well Rei-kun, we first discovered Alyssa-chan's vocal talent when she was only seven. We were on tour three years ago, and did a special performance at the Aries Musical Academy. Alyssa-chan was only in the choir then, but she practically blew us away! I have never before seen such raw talent. Alyssa-chan was literally a 'Golden' child with her voice. She can duplicate any voice type, and reach any pitch. Alyssa-chan is a genius when it comes to singing, and we just had to have her join our group." Anh winked at the youngest member of their group as Alyssa stared at her in embarrassment.

Gathering herself quickly, the blonde ten year old cast a cheeky smile at Anh. "Why Anh-onee-chan, I'm flattered. And here I thought you wanted me in your group because I was cute." Everyone laughed at the little joke, as it was common knowledge Anh Lu was a play girl.

"Well I personally, would rather buy a CD with Alyssa-chan's cute face on it, than Anh's." Chie smirked handsomely as she twirled a blue rose around her fingers.

"Hahaha, Chie you're so silly! However I suppose you do have a point. Alyssa isn't Earl's 'Golden Angel' for nothing." Smiling at the handsome woman, Anh leaned against Chie to covertly jab at the younger woman's ribs. The crowd didn't notice a thing, which made Anh's smile widen with glee. Chie on the other hand quirked a pain filled grin, but otherwise made no further comment.

"True, true," Rei agreed as he steered the conversation back to topic. "Okay ladies, we have here a few questions that all of Earl has been wondering about. The first one comes from a loyal viewer in the United Kingdom of Lutecia. He writes: _'Elysium is my favorite Neo-Classical group. I've been a fan since the debut of the group, and I can't get enough of you ladies! How do you girls manage to stay together, when other musical groups fall apart?'_"

Feeling a light nudge to her ribs again, Chie casts a sidelong glance towards Anh. The brunette smirked, and looked away. A little annoyed, Chie cleared her throat and looked directly at the anchorman. Giving a dazzling smile, the carbon haired woman spoke. "It's simple really, Kanzaki-san. We love what we do, and we have fun doing it. I think for us, one of the factors of our success, is that we've all been friends since middle school." The other group members nodded, except Alyssa who smiled politely as she watched Chie continue to talk. "You see, Yukino, Anh, Shizuru and I, all attended Windbloom's Academy of Music and Arts, and although Anh and Shizuru are older than Yukino and myself, we attended the same after class activities and clubs. _Elysium_ has been around for a little over three years, but our group has been together for almost a decade! We just love what we do, and we do what we love. It's just that simple."

The entire group nodded in agreement, and Rei smiled as he shuffled through the note cards with various questions. "Ten years! That is truly impressive. Okay, here's another question from a long distance fan, from all the way out in Aswad. She writes: _'The people in my village absolutely love your music! Do you think Aswad will ever be apart of your tour someday?'_"

Hearing the village 'Aswad' mentioned, Alyssa instantly sat up straighter and looked to the other members of her group for the pending answer. This was a question Alyssa had posed several times, but she has never received a clear answer. _Aswad! Natsuki-Onee-chan is currently living in Aswad village! _ Feeling her heart beat a little faster, the blonde child eagerly awaited the answer.

Tilting her glasses up, Yukino spoke for the group, as she noticed all eyes looking towards her. "That's a wonderful question, Kanzaki-san. We are very aware of our fans in remote places, like Aswad village, and we—Elysium—are very eager to take our tour to Aswad village and other cities in the near future. We had never in our wildest dreams thought we would be so widely favored, and we only have you fans to thank for that. Thus every year our tour expands, as we perform in new cities and villages. It is simply our way of thanking the support we've received by you wonderful fans."

"Indeed!" Chie leaned on Yukino to enter the camera frame. "We love each and every one of you fans out there, and we can't wait to visit you in your hometowns and cities. If we didn't get to visit you this year, we'll try our best to see you next year!"

"Ara, ara…it is a shame that our tour will end next weekend. However, as always our next tour will begin again soon. Please wait till then, ne?" The chestnut haired woman smiled charmingly, and winked at the camera.

It was not often Shizuru openly flirted on camera, or even spoke for that matter, so it was a real treat to all those in hearing range of the sensual accent, and caused many to blush or pass out. Rei Kanzaki however did not blush, but his ears turned a little red. "Ah, it seems that we're out of time." Rei spoke hurriedly as he noticed his camera man had passed out from Shizuru's flirtatious wink. "Thank you for your time, Alyssa-chan, Fujino-san, Lu-san, Hallard-san, and Chrysant-san." Flashing a toothy smile, Rei turned to the camera, "That was one of the Neo-Classical leading groups: _Elysium_. You heard it here first, on Earl's Morning Show. I'm your host, Rei Kanzaki. Thank you for watching." Holding his smile until the red light atop the camera died out, Rei sighed as he palmed his bald head.

"Thank you again ladies, it really means a lot to me that you appeared on my show first thing on your return to Windbloom City." Rei bowed deeply from his seat behind the desk.

Waving her hand as if to shoo away a fly, Anh chuckled, "Not at all, Rei-kun. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't show up for your program? Besides, I think you should thank your little brother, as he _is _out current manager."

"Oh Anh-san, your implication wound me so." Chuckling, a tall handsome man walked to the set. His straight black hair lightly falling into his golden eyes as he smiled at the five seated woman, "You all did wonderful. Now as promised, you have the rest of the day off. Please enjoy being back in Windbloom City. Oh, and don't forget to be back at the studio tomorrow morning at five o'clock. We have a photo shoot at Kala Mountain, and we don't want to be late for the first train out, it'll be a three hour ride, so you can sleep on the way."

Smile never faltering, Reito watched his charges groan at the thought of an early train ride. It was a sympathetic smile. After a round of 'yes Reito's and 'later Reito-kun', the young man watched as his four charges wave goodbye before heading out for a well deserved day off.

After ten minutes, the stage was cleared off, and the lights were dimmed, Reito noticed he was left with the youngest and newest member of their group. Sitting by herself, Alyssa stared at her polished black ballet shoes for a long moment, as if in her own world and unaware of her surroundings. Reito's hazel eyes looked around for the mysterious Miyu, and found the guardian standing watch in the distance. Not knowing what else to do, Reito Kanzaki approached the Golden Angel. "Alyssa-chan, are you alright?"

Looking up at Reito's clam face, Alyssa quirked a smile, "Reito-onii-chan, is it true? Will we really visit Aswad Village next tour?"

Seeing the hope in bright blue eyes, Reito kneeled in front of the ten year old. "It's hard to say Alyssa-chan. Aswad Village is in the middle of the desert, and not very many sand cruisers go there. It would be difficult for Elysium to go there on tour." Although he spoke gently and softly, Alyssa sill turned her head down, and her eyes beginning to water. Reito knew that Alyssa had been asking to go to Aswad Village as a tour spot since she joined the group three years ago. However they just couldn't get the transportation to the remote village, as it was almost impossible to reach the secluded area. Placing a gentle hand on Alyssa's tiny shoulder, Reito smiled warmly at the girl. "I tell you what, Alyssa-chan. If we end this year's tour really well, I'll personally take you to Aswad Village with Miyu-san." Seeing Alyssa's bright smile, and happy hope filled eyes, Reito felt like it was the best decision he had made all year. He smiled a little wider.

"You promise?" Alyssa tentatively asked as she rubbed her hands together. When she saw his firm nod, she leapt for joy, and hugged Reito tightly. "Thank you!" Smiling happily, Alyssa quickly dashed off to tackle hug Miyu's legs as she excitedly told her guardian of the promise. Miyu's red orbs eyed the handsome manager critically, and seeing no fraud in him, smiled gratefully at Reito. Nodding her head in thanks, Miyu lifted Alyssa in her arms and carried the Golden Angel off the set.

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Natsuki Kruger smiled as she tapped her foot along with the tempo of the classical music blaring on her headset. She was busy at the shop, Aswad Motors, working on a damaged car. The vehicle was in an accident, and the passenger side needed to be completely remodeled. Easy stuff. Turning the volume up a bit as _Duel _by _Elysium _began to play; the blue haired mechanic twirled a wrench in her hands as she began to work.

Although she was the only person working at the garage at the moment, she still wore her headset, preferring the quality of the little buds to the stereo. It also allowed her the freedom to get lost in the music as she worked. Hearing the dueling violins challenge each other, Natsuki grinned, the music was truly beautiful.

Natsuki only recently became a fan of the group because her sister Alyssa had sent her a copy of the disk a year ago. At first Natsuki only listened to the first song on the disk, and didn't care for the music. Thus the shiny new CD rested in her tent at Aswad Village for months untouched, until her friend Erstin saw it, and asked to borrow it.

Erstin loved the CD so much she kept it for months, never returning it since the younger girl was addicted to listening to it. Then by chance Natsuki heard the last track on the disk as she was passing by Erstin's tent. She instantly recognized Alyssa's voice as she sung '_Dream a Dream,__'_and demanded to see the disk again. By that time the only thing left of the compact disk's case, was the disk, as everything else was lost in the last sand storm that ripped through the village a few months prior. There was no disk jacket, no list of lyrics, or booklet and usually comes along with a music CD, just the group's name and track titles that were printed on the disk.

The only thing Natsuki knew about the CD was that it was a string quartet called _Elysium_, and Alyssa sang the vocals. It was the only real thing that Natsuki cared about, and the only reason why she listened to the group. It was because she missed Alyssa—having not seen her little sister for almost four years—that finally allowed Natsuki to connect to the music. Now one year after receiving the music disk, the cobalt haired mechanic continued to listen to the old CD to be reminded of her little sister that she misses dearly.

With the music on endless loop, an hour passed by unnoticed, and the passenger side door was almost complete. Finishing up reinstalling the glass window, Natsuki was unaware of a taller redhead sneaking up on her. Midori wore a playful grin as she tiptoed closer to the working mechanic. Reaching out a quick hand, the older woman pulled the wire connecting Natsuki's white ear buds from the music player. She instantly got Natsuki's attention, as the younger girl whirled around with a screwdriver in hand, gripping the tool like a club.

"The hell?!" the young mechanic shouted as she was determined to kill her boss. Emerald eyes glared into playful lime green orbs for a moment, before turning away. It was better to not instigate the taller woman when she was in such a playful mood. Natsuki had learned the hard way, and after four years of being tutored by the genius mechanic Midori, Natsuki had long ago learned her tutor was too playful. Sighing to herself, Natsuki huffed in annoyance. "What do you want Midori?"

Used to the gruff nature, and killer glare of her employee, Sugiura Midori chuckled. "You know Natsuki-chan, its 6 o'clock. We've been closed for over an hour now." Smiling as she watched the younger girl process the information, the redhead stretched. Grinning as she felt a few tired bones pop, Aswad Motors' owner lazily motioned for Natsuki to follow her. "Come on, the night is still young! Let's go drinking together! I've found this neat place, they do Karaoke there too; it'll be fun."

Signing at the tall redhead's cheerful mood, the lone mechanic tossed the screwdriver into the tool box, "Thanks, but I'll pass," she replied as she made her way towards the locker rooms to change.

"Aw, you're no fun Natsuki-chan! C'mon, we've been in Windbloom City for almost a week now, and you haven't gone partying with me once! Stop living such a boring life, and live a little!"

Annoyed that her long time fired called her life boring, Natsuki continued to head towards the changing room, emitting a low growl. "Shut up. Why would I want to waste my time and money by going to some stupid Karaoke bar with you and Youko? That's just dumb." Pushing the door open, the emerald eyed woman didn't see Midori's smirking face. It was a long day, but it didn't bother Natsuki too much as she often gets lost in the work and the music. Although Aswad Motors was a new branch in Windbloom, and thus much slower than the main branch in Aswad, the week that they have been in the city, they were busy. Aswad Motors is a very elite mechanic repair shop, and many have heard tails of the great Sugiura Midori, as she is one of the best mechanics throughout Earl. So the few days that the garage was open, Midori, Natsuki, and the three other employees were busy.

Opening up her blue locker, Natsuki grunted as she stripped out of the messy oil-stained gray jumpsuit. Tossing the dirty suit into her bag to wash later, Natsuki changed into her street clothes and washed up at the small sink before heading out of the locker room. Dressed in simple old, faded blue jeans, a black tank top, and worn sneakers, the young mechanic padded out of the building, and into the cool evening air of Windbloom city.

Midori was waiting for Natsuki by the door, and locked up behind the raven haired girl. It was only a little past six o'clock, but it was still bright out. Emerald eyes looked to the sky for a moment before darting around the small parking lot. It was empty save Midori's custom four wheeler, the _Gakutennou._ The Gakutennou was a beautiful machine, and a powerful ride. With its four wheels, it allows the rider the ability to tread any terrain, from the urban streets of Windbloom City, to the sandy mounds of Aswad. In all the years Natsuki has spent working with Midori, she has yet to see a terrain the Gakutennou could _not_ tread.

Sighing wistfully at the impressive all-terrain-vehicle, Natsuki turned on her heel and started walking down the street to the bus stop. "See you around, Midori." Natsuki yelled back to her employer over the purr of Gakutennou's engine.

"Need a ride, Natsuki-chan?" the taller redhead asked as she eyed her favorite employee walk down the streets of Windbloom city. Although it was not dark yet, and it was a warm summer evening, the older woman was still concerned about the girl.

Not bothering to turn around, Natsuki replied as she readjusted her messenger bag. "Nah. The last time I accepted a ride from you, I ended up at a night club and had to lug your drunk-ass home. I'll pass, it's a nice evening."

Midori chucked as she donned her helmet, and revved Gakutennou's engine again before she peeled out of the deserted parking lot after the walking mechanic. "Darn, it seems like you've seen through my plot!" Midori joked, and they both shared a laugh as the Gakutennou kept pace with the walking mechanic. "But you know; things would be a lot easier if you would just move in with Youko and me. That way you wouldn't have to spend so much money on rent, and you could afford that engine you wanted for your bike. I see it as a win-win solution."

Sighing heavily, Natsuki sent a sidelong glance to the Gakutennou and its rider. "I'm doing fine on my own, thanks." Even though the offer was really the best and most logical solution, Natsuki would never impose on Midori and Youko like that. She already owed a lot to Midori and Youko for their kindness, so she didn't want to bother them more than she needed to. Natsuki was much too proud to do that. She was after all, the daughter of the former President of the Aries Republic: Saeko Kruger.

Releasing an exasperated breath, Midori shrugged. "Well if you ever need anything—anything at all—call me. You know I'm here for you, right?" Seeing the younger woman nod, but kept on walking, Midori sighed, they had reached the bus stop already. "Got any plans for the weekend?"

Standing at the curb, waiting for the bus to arrive, Natsuki adjusted her messenger bag absentmindedly. "I was thinking I'd go to Kala Mountain. Nina's dad owns an ore mine over there, and they said I could pick up a few kilos of the stuff if I want it. It's a great offer since I would be saving money by cutting out the middleman. I just have to go into the mine and get it myself."

"I don't know Natsuki, that doesn't sound like a good idea. I heard the people working for Nina-chan's dad were on strike. Who would be there to guide you? You could get hurt by yourself down there. Or worse, you could meet one of those crazy people that I've heard live up on that mountain." Midori frowned as she regarded Natsuki's stoic profile.

Shrugging her employer's concern off, Natsuki kicked at a pebble by her foot. It was five times more expensive living in Windbloom City than in the Aswad Village, and although they've only been in the city for a week, Natsuki had already spent 5,000 Riels for her apartment, utilities, food, and other supplies. Almost half of the money she had saved and earned for the past four years was spent in a week. It was crazy, and very frustrating. That money Natsuki was saving to build her very own custom motorcycle—one that would surpass the Gakutennou—and be worth the time and effort Natsuki had put into saving up for it. So far she only had most of the frame built, but she still needed custom tires and the metal to build the engine. For that she needed the ore from the mine on Kala Mountain.

This was a great opportunity, as it would be cheaper to take the ore to be purified by a blacksmith and cast the parts she needed, than to buy the specialty parts that would cost ten times as much from a third party company. It made more sense to Natsuki to just risk the slim chance of danger and get the ore herself, than to have to pay an outrageous price for a few parts of the engine she was going to build herself.

"I'll be fine on my own, and besides, if I run into any trouble, I'll call." Natsuki's answer didn't sit well with Midori, but before she could say anything, the bus pulled up to the curb, and Natsuki boarded. "Take care, and tell Youko I said: 'hi.'" That was the last thing the young mechanic said as the doors shut behind her. Midori could only nod as she watched the public transportation vehicle pull away. Sighing to herself, the redhead revved the engine once more, and headed home.

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It was a little late when Shizuru had finished her most of her personal errands. Smiling softly as she drove, the chestnut haired woman parked in front of a large music store. Large red letter in neon lights stylishly displayed the store's name: HiME Instruments. Stepping out of the fancy sports car, Shizuru entered the large three story building. The whoosh of the automatic doors sent a breeze of cool air pass the famous musician. High heels clicked along the polish tiled floor of the establishment as Shizuru made her way into the mostly empty store. It was a little past seven, and only a few patrons and sales associates were lingering around as it was close to closing time.

Walking past the many display unites of organs and pianos, a soft melody lingered in the air. It was a melancholy tune, one Shizuru had never heard before. Feeling mildly curious, but knowing she had little time before the shop closed to get her needed bow string, Shizuru quicken her steps from the piano and keyboard department, to the string instruments section of the building. There she found Irina Woods standing at the counter, leaning over the polished glass case of violas. The girl's wire rimmed glasses were reflecting the overhead lights in a blinding glow, as the short red head stood motionless facing the piano department.

Tiling her head, Shizuru regarded her long time acquaintance for a few moments. Although she was standing close to the counter, only a few feet away, a more attentive person would have already noticed the chestnut haired woman's approach. Irina however, was too caught up in whatever it was she was looking at to notice she had a patron. Turning her head to the side, Shizuru followed the clerk's gaze and saw a lone pianist. The person sitting at a polished black grand piano was the one that played the melancholy tune. From where Shizuru stood, she could see the profile of the girl as she played with a passion that captivated the viewer. From the pianist's active hands as they stroked each key, to the way raven hair fell like an inky waterfall, to the girl's serene posture. Everything was breath taking.

All too soon the melody finished, and contrary to the music's soft slow tune, the pianist stood abruptly, as if she was caught doing something wrong, and closed the lid to the keyboard with an audible _clunk_. The noise caused Irina to jerk up as she snapped back to reality, and looked wildly around her. She noticed Shizuru then, and with a blush greeted her friend. "Ah, Shizuru-san, when did you get here?"

As Shizuru's gaze shifted from the back of the pianist's black tank top to the clerk, ruby eyes did not see a pair of emerald orbs glance at her briefly. "Ara, ara…Irina-han, I've been standing here for quite some time now." Looking back towards the grand piano, Shizuru did not see the raven haired girl, and shrugged in mild disappointment. "Unless you mean, when did I return to Windbloom?"

Used to the gorgeous smile, Irina simply waved the question off with a grin of her own. "Welcome back, Shizuru-san. You look great! So what can I do for you today?

"Thank you, Irina-han, you are most kind. I am in need of a new bow string, please." Shizuru answered calmly as she returned to the business at hand. The mysterious pianist forgotten as Shizuru recalled the purpose of her visit to the music store at such a late hour.

Nodding to her customer and turning back to open the file cabinet, Irina busied herself looking for the appropriate item. "The usual?" A small 'yes' was her reply, as Irina continued to thumb through the organized cabinet. "I saw Elysium's performance and interview on Earl's Morning Show today. You guys looked amazing! Ah, here it is." Turning back to Shizuru, Irina closed the cabinet and moved to the register. "So what are you going to do before the last concert next weekend?"

Placing her purse on the counter, Shizuru smiled politely as the clerk rang up the item. "Ara…Reito-han and Haruka-han were going on about the fans pleading for a group poster or some sort." Although Shizuru spoke with a dejected voice, it was mostly for show, as she was more than amused at the prospect of a group poster. "I suppose it cannot be helped. Elysium has been together for more than three years now, and we have not once submitted a group photo of us for any of our albums."

"It's a wonder anybody recognize you, when it's only Alyssa-chan's pictures is in all of Elysium's albums." Irina chuckled. "The fans finally requested some pictures of the lovely ladies of Elysium eh?"

"More like demanded." Shizuru joked as they both shared a laugh. The purchase was made, and placed in Shizuru's large purse. "Well all I can say is that after the concert next weekend, there will be a special CD with a bonus poster inside." Winking at the girl, Shizuru strolled out of the establishment, waving goodbye to Irina still standing by the counter. She had to get home and rest up, tomorrow would be a big day.

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	2. Chapter 2

The Classical Side of Love

Summary: MO/MH AU. Shizuru is the second violinist in the famous string quartet Elysium. As the group ends their tour, they meet one of their biggest fans, Kuga Natsuki. However unlike any typical fan, Natsuki has never been concerned with what her idols actually look like, since all she ever cared about is the music.

AN:

1. The group Elysium is based off of the British string quartet Bond. If you don't know who they are, I strongly urge you to check them out, believe me, they are amazing! Also a lot of the songs I will refer to in this comes from them.

2. I thought I had added this at the bottom of the last chapter, but when I uploaded it, a whole section of AN's was gone! O.O! But anyways, "Riel" is the currency being used in this story. 1 Riel = 1 USD

3. The group cELLOMa2 is pronounced 'cello mama.' This group is based off Apocalyptica, the Finnish cello metal band. Also if you are not familiar with this group, check them out! They're really amazing.

4. Many thanks goes out to my Beta, Balticbard. She makes all my stories so much better! The last chapter I didn't giver Balti time to actually beta, so all mistakes found in chapter one is all my bad. Lol.

Disclaimer: I don't own the series Mai HiME or Mai Otome, Sunrise does.

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Chapter Two

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The musicians of Elysium were riding the bullet train from Windbloom city to Artai Nation early that morning. However they were not going to Artai, their destination was a stop in between the nations at a mountain resort three hours away from Windbloom. The mountain resort was situated a few hours away from the base of Kala Mountain—a well known mountain for its regal beauty, exquisite health spa, natural hot springs, and industrious ore mines—it was the perfect site to take a few group photos.

The interior of the bullet train was much like the interior of a plane. There was the middle aisle, flanked by four plush chairs. Most of the rows of chairs faced forward, however the rows of chairs were also able to be rotated around, and create a booth-like enclosure. Elysium sat in one of these enclosures, content in reading their bundle of mail they received while on tour. Alyssa sat by the window, Miyu was to the right of the Golden Angel, and Haruka Armitage was to the right of Miyu, with Yukino on the end of the row. Opposite Yukino sat Shizuru with Chie to her right. Anh sat between Reito and Chie.

As the group busied themselves with reading their fan mail, and mail from their families, Alyssa had her arm propped up along the ledge of the large window of the train. With dazed eyes, the youngest member of Elysium stared out the window and watched the countryside pass by quickly. A stack of unopened letters sat on her lap, but the ten year old did not touch them. The letter she had been hoping to receive was not there, and Alyssa did not care to read any of the fan mail she had receive yet. There were a few letters from home, but that mattered little, as the letter from her sister was not there.

Reito, sitting opposite Alyssa frowned at the pouting ten year old girl. Alyssa had been in a gloomy mood for the past hour, and refused to speak to anyone. Eyeing the untouched stack of mail on Alyssa's lap, Reito sighed. "No news from Aswad?" he asked calmly, as he, and the rest of the group knew Alyssa always waited for mail from the backwater country. Alyssa sighed deeply, and turned further away from the group, causing the envelopes on her lap to topple to the floor. The blonde child made no move to pick them up, but instead drew her feet up on the large chair. Being the closes to the fallen envelops, Reito gathered them, and handed the pile of letters to Miyu. Their fingers brushed against each other lightly, but neither showed sighs of the interaction phasing them. The cyan haired guardian placed the letters into her bag, and remained silent, as there was nothing she could do, but cast a worried glance to Alyssa's troubled face.

The group lapsed back into the silence of the hum of the rapidly moving train. The other passengers occasionally glanced over to the group with awe and admiration, but were mostly ignored by the stars. Haruka was reading a book, Yukino was writing a letter home, Anh was reading fan mail, and Chie was playing a handheld video game.

"Ara?" Shizuru's voice carried a hint of surprise that caused her friends to look towards her. Between her stack of fan mail, was a dirty, crumpled envelope. It was addressed to Alyssa Kruger from Aswad. Smiling at the younger girl's gloomy reflection on the window, Shizuru spoke softly. "Alyssa-chin, I have a letter addressed to you, however it seems to be stuck to one of my letters." There was no reaction from the blonde child, which caused Shizuru's smile to widen just a tiny bit. Peeling the old envelope off of a fan letter, Shizuru concentrated on not ripping Alyssa's letter, and tore the fan envelop instead. Handing the crumpled envelope to Miyu, Shizuru's ruby eyes watched Alyssa slowly turn to face the group.

"Thanks." Alyssa muttered dejectedly.

"Ojou-sama, the letter is from Aswad." Miyu said softly, as she tried to coax her angel into a better mood. The declaration grabbed Alyssa's attention, as the little girl practically pounced on Miyu. Miyu was unfazed by the attack and smiled a little at her charge's returned energy. The rest of the group looked on in surprise as the Golden Angel sprang to life. All the while Shizuru's ruby eyes were watching the youngest member of their group with interest.

Tearing the envelope carefully open, Alyssa trembled in anticipation of reading her sister's letter. The envelope was smudged with dirt, and torn in a few places, but it was definitely from Aswad. The post mark date was almost six months ago, but Alyssa didn't care. She was just excited to finally receive the letter!

Gently taking the folded letter out of the old envelope, Alyssa grinned brightly as she read her sister's familiar handwriting. Part of the letter showed signs of once being waterlogged, as the ink was washed off in some places and the paper crinkle, causing some of the words to be unreadable, but Alyssa didn't mind, as she read what she could, excitement filling her.

'_Dearest Alyssa,_

_Happy Birthday! I regret not being able to attend your up coming tenth birthday, but I'm hoping this letter reaches you before then. I really miss you and mom. How is she by the way? How are you? A………….fine._

_Aswad is madly in love with Elysium, and they can't wait to be apart of your tour route some day. A friend………… I hope I can see you again. I wonder how tall you are now?_

_Midori, Youko, a few others and I………branch of Aswad……… You…there………don't yo……………_

……………_hope to se………………work wit…………Ers………………motor for………_

…_ove………tsuki…'_

Squinting and turning the letter this way and that, Alyssa pouted as she tried to make out the rest of the writing. The ink had run off and smeared due to the water, and although long since dry, it was difficult to decipher the rest of the letter. Exhaling loudly, Alyssa tugged on Miyu's sleeve. "Miyu, I can't read the rest! Can you make anything out?"

Looking down into Alyssa's pleading blue eyes, Miyu calmly took hold of the damaged letter. "I will try, Ojou-sama." Miyu earned a large smile from Alyssa in return. Focusing hard, Miyu's cybernetic eyes tried to analyze the damaged page and enhance what she could about the letter, however it was so crumpled up and water logged, that it was impossible to determine the rest of the words. Had the piece of paper not been so badly damaged, Miyu could have easily read the impressions of the pen on the paper, yet try as she might, Miyu's highly advanced eyes could not decipher the rest of the page. Shaking her head in the negative, Miyu folded up the letter again and handed it to the child. "Forgive me, Ojou-sama, the paper is too damaged to determine what was written."

Alyssa smiled up at Miyu, satisfied that her guardian and best friend had tried. Although Alyssa was still disappointed she could not read the rest of the letter, she was still nonetheless happy that she received a birthday letter from her sister. Gently placing the folded up letter back into the torn envelope, Alyssa tucked the mail away into her pocket with reverence. However that reverence only lasted a moment as the little girl grinned widely. '_I miss you_' the phrase echoed in Alyssa's mind, and caused the younger girl to squeal in delight. "She misses me Miyu!" Alyssa grabbed Miyu's arm and grinned up at the pale guardian in pure joy. "Onee-chan wonders how tall I am now! Do you think I'm taller now? Do you think she'll recognize me when we meet her again?" Miyu smiled and nodded at Alyssa's questions. Of course Natsuki-sama would recognize Alyssa-ojou-sama, as no one knew better than Miyu just how much those sisters cared for each other.

Using her free hand, Miyu lightly stroked Alyssa's blond locks lovingly. "Fear not, Ojou-sama. You are not one to be easily forgotten by your sister." The warmth Alyssa felt at that moment caused her to hug the taller girl over the arm rest. At that moment she was really happy.

The other six members of their group looked upon Alyssa's constantly changing mood swings in awe. Sometimes they forgot just how young their youngest member really was.

The tender moment of silence was broken as Haruka spoke from Miyu's right. "I didn't know you have a sister."

"I wonder if she's a pretty as you, Alyssa-chan." Chie grinned and winked at the youngest blonde.

"She must be pretty if she's your sister Alyssa-chan!" Anh smiled a toothy grin as she bumped elbows with Chie. They both shared a laugh.

"Hey!" Alyssa shouted, getting her friends attention, and a few of the other passengers as well. "Don't talk like that about Onee-chan!" Puffing her cheeks out, and frowning, the blue eyed child glared at the three insensitive jerks.

"Ara ara, Alyssa-chin…pay them no mind, they're harmless." Shizuru said as she smiled warmly at the child. Through out the entire ordeal Shizuru had watched the youngest member, and it was clear that the ten year old was protective about her mysterious sister. Simple teases, second nature to Anh and Chie, seemed to upset the child, and it made Shizuru wonder, just who is Alyssa's sister, and why has the Golden Angel not spoken about her till now.

Alyssa calmed slightly at Shizuru's smile, as her anger deflated a little. Shizuru-onee-chan always had that effect on her for some reason. Being around Shizuru Fujino was like being around Miyu. Maybe it was because they had similar eyes, Alyssa often wondered.

"Indeed, Alyssa," Reito chimed in, "you know how those two are. No need to get all worked up over them." Nodding at the handsome man, Alyssa settled back down into her chair. Alyssa was happy her sister had missed her and remembered her birthday; however she was still a little upset that her friends had been so insensitive about her sister. The ten year old had not seen Natsuki-Onee-chan in over four years, and often times she too has wondered how much her sister has changed. Nevertheless it was not something that was open for her friends to comment upon. The subject of her sister was still too raw and sensitive to Alyssa to speak about with anyone besides Miyu.

Chie and Anh huffed collectively, as they were dismissed by Reito and Shizuru. However it was Yukino's quiet voice that disrupted the group. "Wasn't she banished?" The question caused Alyssa's tiny head to snap up and glare intensely at the rusty haired woman, who shrank back into her seat by the withering look.

"What are you talking about Yukino?" Haruka's voice boomed in the train.

Feeling not only the group's eyes on her, but also the collective eyes and ears of the other passengers, Yukino sank into her chair. She was only musing aloud, and completely forgot they were in the public train. Curse her luck! "No, nothing." Yukino replied softly, then thinking quickly, she spoke loud enough for the rest of the train passengers to hear, "Forgive me, I was mistaken. I was thinking of Tokiha Mai-san from Zipang, as she was banished from her homeland a few years ago, after refusing a political marriage between Florence and Zipang. I hear she's now the lead celloist in cELLOMa2."

"cELLOMa2…you mean that new rival string quartet group?" Anh spoke, and relieved some of the tension Yukino felt. Nodding at the spiky haired girl's grateful smile, Anh addressed Alyssa. "I believe you are acquainted with them, ne Alyssa-chan?"

Alyssa frowned at Anh, but knew she had most of the trains' attention, and so replied diplomatically. "Indeed, Anh-san, I am familiar with the members of cELLOMa2 as we attended Aries Musical Academy together, and although they've graduated three years ago, I've only met them a few times. However they are still a fairly new group; and I don't believe the rest of Elysium has properly met them yet. Perhaps we could arrange something, ne? Reito-onii-chan?"

"I think that can be arranged." Reito smiled reassuringly. He was their manager after all, and something as simple as meeting up with new group cELLOMa2, could easily be arranged. "Perhaps we can even do a concert with them in the future, who knows." Reito said, as he sat back in awe at the way his girls had turned a potentially damaging conversation in public, into a potential opportunity to boost Elysium's popularity. It seemed to have worked too, as the train erupted into a hum and buzz of whispers between the other passengers.

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The train arrived at Kala Station mid morning, on the third of April, a few days before all the cherry trees would be in full bloom. As the trains' doors opened, passenger after passenger exited out of the train and into the station. Usually Kala Station would see a few dozens of patrons a day; Today was no exception.

Leisurely exiting the train station, Elysium entered the spacious parking lot, where they entered a waiting limousine. The drive from Kala Station to the Kala Spring Resort was an uneventful hour. Upon arrival, the group was ready to just get out and stretch their tired cramped limbs.

Lucky Reito had the forethought to schedule the photo shoot in the afternoon and evening. That left the morning, and a few hours between the afternoon and evening shoot, for the musicians to freely relax and enjoy the resort, which all of them intended to do.

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On the opposite side of the Kala Resort, Natsuki had arrived at the western side of Kala mountain. It was early that morning, and with backpack securely strapped on, and carrying three days worth of food and provisions, the young woman began her trek up the barren mountain path. The mine was a good fifteen to twenty miles into the mountain. Looking up from the map Nina had given her the night before, Natsuki began climbing the mountain. With walking stick in hand, the pole a little taller than herself, the cobalt haired woman climbed over boulders and foliage, trying to follow the short cut her friend had given her.

It was mid afternoon by the time Natsuki had reached the mine's opening. The trek up was exhausting, but luckily Nina had provided the keys needed to open the closed off entrance. Taking a quick break to catch her breath and eat lunch, Natsuki pushed through the rusty iron doors and entered the dark, damp cave.

Inside the mine was much chillier than outside, and shrugging on her all-weather-proof jacket, Natsuki cringed as a gust of wind blew past her. There was flowing air, so that was a good thing, as the thoughts of running into pockets of poison gasses left her mind. Flashlight in hand, and headlight strapped on, the young woman continued deeper into the cave-like mine.

A mile into the mine, the young mechanic found a set of railroad tracks leading deeper into the quarry. After half an hour of setting up the power, which lit most of the excavation site so she wouldn't have to wonder around in the dark, Natsuki found an overturned railroad cart.

Discarding the hiking pack by the power generator, the emerald eyed girl used the walking stick to lever up the overturned cart. Grunting in satisfaction that the cart was finally back on track, the young mechanic gathered her belongs, and began to pump the cart down the track and further into the mine.

"_You never know what you'll run into up there." Youko had warned Natsuki as they drove out to Kala mountain early that morning. "Natsuki, I want you to be extra careful when you go in there." the doctor said as she passed Natsuki a large hunting knife. _

_Midori refused to join them as Youko was the appointed driver, which didn't help the redhead's hangover, but only threaten to induce further nausea. Nevertheless with Youko's "insane driving skills" as Natsuki had called it, they made the normally three hour trip in half the time._

"_Rest in the cottage located here on the map. That cottage is owned by a colleague of mine, and I've got you permission to use it for the weekend as you gather your ore. There are some basic supplies in there, no power generator, so for the most part you'll be living off of your own food and light." Even though Youko spoke with her eyes never leaving the road ahead, she knew Natsuki nodded at her advice. "Also be careful of wild dogs. My colleague mentioned seeing a few wild dogs roaming around the mountain, so you need to be prepared for anything."_

Feeling the weight of the hunting knife on her belt, Natsuki slowed the railroad cart to a stop when she reached an open area. All along the wall of the mine were discarded tools. Grinning at her luck of actually finding discarded tools, Natsuki left her bag and jacket on the cart. She was the only one in the mine, so it wasn't likely someone would steal her stuff.

Taking two bags to carry the ore in, the walking stick, a pick, and a gallon of water, Natsuki followed the lighted corridor into one of the work areas. The map showed the area was high in ore content, and with a smile, the young woman got to work.

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"What have you got there, Alyssa-chin?" Shizuru asked as she sipped her tea in the spacious dinning hall. Reito sat across from her, and turned in his seat to look at the Golden Angel that approached them. They had just finished the first photo shoot that afternoon, and everyone was taking a break to have lunch and explore the resort. They had five hours till the next photo session in the evening, and most of the group wanted to have fun before then.

Smiling brightly, Alyssa held on to Miyu's hand as she tugged her guardian forward. As they neared the table Shizuru-onee-chan and Reito-onii-chan were sitting at, Alyssa quickened her pace. "We're making a video to give to Onee-chan!" the ten year old declared. "It's for when Reito-onii-chan takes Miyu and me to Aswad Village after the tour. I want Onee-chan to see some of the places I've been, like Kala Mountain."

Shizuru looked to Reito with an amused smile as the handsome man shrugged and smiled. "Ara, is that so?" the chestnut haired woman asked Alyssa with a smile. The child nodded her head in excitement which made Shizuru's smile widen just a bit. Alyssa Kruger was such an adorable child. "I though Alyssa-chin wanted to return to the Aries Republic as soon as the tour was over?"

The little girl frowned, as she took the camcorder into her hands, and scuffed her shoe against the carpeted floor. Not looking up at her friends, Alyssa used her little fingers to open the camcorder's view finder window. "I don't want to go to Aries right now. That's just what father wants because he's running for his second term in office."

Although she was only ten, Alyssa rarely spoke about her father, but when she did, it was always with subdued bitterness and anger. However those who knew her father would say he was a good man, and indeed he was, as he loved Alyssa dearly and would never harm his little girl. He gave everything to Alyssa, and anything she ever wanted. Yet he could not give the only thing the ten year old wanted, and that was her sister. It was because of her father that Natsuki-Onee-chan left home and could never return. So it was her father's fault, and Alyssa resented her father for it.

Seeing Alyssa's darkening mood, Reito pulled out the chair next to his for Alyssa to sit down. "Well I'm sure your father just misses you. You have been gone from home for a year now."

Taking the offered seat next to Reito, Alyssa huffed as she placed the camcorder on the table top. Miyu sat opposite her and next to Shizuru, and although to the average onlooker Miyu's face remained indifference, Alyssa could see the concern in light garnet eyes.

"So about this video…?" Shizuru asked lightly as she took another sip of her tea. The afternoon light streaming in from the large bay windows across the dinning hall looked inviting, and suddenly Shizuru wished she had accepted Chie's offer to explore the mountain with herself and Anh. "You said you were going to give it to your sister?"

Perking up, Alyssa smiled happily at Shizuru. "Yup! I want to make a video showing Onee-chan all the places I've been, and introduce Elysium to her too. Do you think it is okay if I record Shizuru-onee-chan? Reito-onii-chan?"

The two drinking tea nodded politely, causing the Golden Angel to grin happily. Turning the camcorder on, Alyssa began the introductions, pointing the camera first to herself. "Hi, Onee-chan! I want you to meet some of my friends…" turning the camera first at Reito who smiled winningly, Alyssa continued. "This is Reito-onii-chan, he's from Windbloom City. You'll get to meet him soon, because he's talking me to see you. He's really nice, I think you'll like him. He is my manager, so he takes good care of me."

"You have such a cute sister, I look forward to finally meeting you." Reito smoothly said as he nodded at the camera.

Turning the camera to Shizuru next, Alyssa smiled when the chestnut haired woman waved to the camera and smiled politely. "This is Shizuru-onee-chan. She plays the second violin in our group. She's really nice and really pretty. I think you will get along with her too."

"Ara, ara…I do hope to one day make your acquaintance, ne?"

Turning the camera back to herself, Alyssa spoke softly, as if to whisper something only her sister could hear. "Oh, and Shizuru-onee-chan is from Zipang too, just like Mai-san. However she talks kind of funny…I think she said she's from an island in Zipang called Chiyoto or something…"

Chuckling at the way Alyssa tried to whisper to the camera about her origins, Shizuru couldn't help but correct the girl. "It's called 'Kyoto.' I'm from Kyoto, Alyssa-chin."

Blushing at her mistake, which caused Shizuru's chuckling to reach the camera, Alyssa coughed to hid her embarrassment. "Um….right…'Kyoto.' Shizuru-onee-chan's from Kyoto." Darting clear robin blue eyes from the camera to Shizuru and Reito sipping their tea, Alyssa smiled back at the camera as she turned it to face the two, capturing both in its lens. "Drinking tea. That's what these two do most of the time. I don't think I've ever seen either of them relaxing without tea at hand."

The two smiled at the camera and lifted their cups in greetings before taking another sip. Giggling at the show, Alyssa turned the camera back to her as she placed the camcorder on the table top and adjusted the window, so as not to have her head cut out of the shot. With both hands in her lap, Alyssa smiled cutely at the camera. "Ne, ne, Onee-chan. I think you'll like my friends here in Elysium. You already know Reito-onii-chan and Shizuru-onee-chan. They're nice, you'll like them."

"Lets see…now there's Anh-san, Haruka-san, Yukino-san, and Chie-san that you haven't met yet." After counting off the four people on her little hands, Alyssa scooted closer to the camera on the table. "Onee-chan, you have to be careful around Chie-san and Anh-san. They flirt a lot, and Anh-san might try to randomly hug you. She does that a lot to me. Haruka-san is okay, she can be very loud and scary, but Yukino-san keeps her in line most of the time. Yukino-san is smart, but really quiet. Anyways, Miyu-san and I will are going to go find them, I think they went to explore the rest of the resort…"

Turning off the camcorder and closing the view finder window, Alyssa looked up at Miyu, who nodded her head in support. Proud of herself, Alyssa smiled at Shizuru and Reito happily. "Thank you for your time. Do either of you know where I can find Haruka-san and Yukino-san?"

Drinking the last of his tea, Reito answered. "I believe Haruka-san and Yukino-san went to the tennis courts to play a round or two. Shall I accompany you?"

"Will you?" the ten year old replied with hope filled eyes. Although she had no doubt in Miyu's ability to locate something as simple as the tennis courts, Alyssa always enjoyed Reito-onii-chan's company. He was very much like the brother she never had, and she adored him. "Will you join us too, Shizuru-onee-chan?"

"Ara…I'd love to, but I have yet to finish my tea." It was a lame excuse, one that made the blonde child pout, and threatened to break Shizuru's resolve. "Perhaps after you interview Haruka-han and Yukino-han, I shall accompany you when you converse with Anh-han and Chie-han instead?" The compromise instantly won over the girl as she smiled and agreed. Again taking Miyu's hand, Alyssa walked off with Reito walking beside Miyu.

Smiling as ruby eyes watched the three leave the dinning hall, Shizuru gazed down into her empty tea mug. She knew of her best friend's crush on the enigmatic Miyu, and did not want to intrude. Thus sitting alone in the mostly empty dinning hall, Shizuru's eyes began to wander around the spacious room. The bright sun light seemed to call to her from the other side of the hall.

With a self indulgent smile, Shizuru rose from her seat and strolled out to the open veranda. It was a beautiful day, and there were still five hours before the next photo session. There was a little time to go exploring around the mountain, and who knows, perhaps she would meet someone interesting.

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AN: Before I forget! THANK YOU to all the readers, those that left reviews (you guys totally rock my socks off!) and those that put this story on alert/favs. You guys and gals really make my day, and keep me writing. :3

Also I'm really sorry if I seems like I never reply to your reviews, but I will! I don't always have a lot of time to be online, so slowly but surely, I'll definitely get back to each and every review!

Oh, another rambling tangent…I've recently discovered I could do a poll on my homepage! I was rather excited, and I would like to invite you readers to check it out. :D The next chapter I work on will be decided by the poll results, so please let me know!

Okay now for those who left the anonymous reviews, I'm sorry but I can't reply to you any other way…

Komett: Thank you so much. ^^ I have a vast knowledge of the show, eh? Why thank you. I think that's the nicest way of saying 'I'm a total Mai HiME nerd.' That's so sweet, thanks. XD

Dtzhztrh: Yeah, it could have been better proofed, that was my bad. I told my beta about uploading this story, and she thought it was a good idea. So yeah, I uploaded, but I completely spaced on giving my beta time to go over it. lol yeah, it was so my bad. Oh and thank you for pointing that term out to me. I recall the term 'rehairing' but I wasn't sure about it. So thanks again. XD

Saphire: Thank you for the review! =)


	3. Chapter 3

The Classical Side of Love

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the series Mai HiME or Mai Otome, Sunrise does.

**AN:**

**1. **Many thanks goes out to my wonderful Beta, Balticbard, you're so au'some! Also thank you to everyone that faved this story, added it to alert, and submitted a review. You guys and gals continue to rock my socks off!

**2. **The Poll results are as follows:

**Which story should I update first?**

**The Classical Side of Love**: 16

**My Musume**: 4

**No preference, just update one of 'em**: 3

Thank you to all the participants in my poll. This chapter is the result of those that voted, so yeah, this chapter is dedicated to all of you that voted--you know who you are ;) I actually found that working according to the poll result is very helpful since it lets me know which story the readers want to see updated first. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to update My Musume, but it's just not taken a priority since it seemed like the majority of the readers wanted to see this story updated first. So yeah, again I've set up the poll, and I would love to see what you readers want me to update first. So again, please check out my page and vote! XD

**3. **Loveless: The lone pianist will be addressed in the next chapter. :] Thanks for reviewing!

**4. **Now I believe I've gotten back to everyone that submitted a review, and if not, I'm sorry! I'll get back to you ASAP. Now I also know I've taken a long time in posting this chapter, so as a trade off, I've **extended** this chapter from the original outline. Basically everything from the time Shizuru thinks "_Just Great." _(about mid way) to the end of the chapter has been taken from chapter four. I do hope the addition to this longer chapter is well worth the wait.

**5. **Thanks for reading all my boring AN's, now on with the story! XD

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**Chapter Three**

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"I'm bored…" Alyssa muttered as she rested her head atop the table.

Miyu quirked an amused smile as Alyssa sighed deeply, and continued to play with the straw wrapper, lightly poking it this way and that. They had finished talking with Yukino and Haruka at the tennis courts over an hour ago. Now the two girls sat waiting in the dinning hall for Shizuru, so the three of them could go find Chie and Anh for the next interview. "Perhaps Ojou-sama could entertain herself by reading the rest of her mail? There are five letters from your father, which Ojou-sama has yet to read."

Blue eyes watched Miyu take the thick stack of envelops out with apathy. "I suppose I could read the letters from home," the ten year old said dejectedly. They had been waiting for Shizuru in the dinning hall for almost half an hour now, and besides reading the letters, there was nothing else to do. Reito had left fifteen minutes ago to check up on the photography team, and it was still three hours away before Elysium's next photo shoot. With only three hours left before they had to 'get back to work,' Alyssa didn't want to spend that time waiting around or reading letters. Alyssa wanted to hang out with her second favorite person: Shizuru-onee-chan.

Opening up the sealed envelope carelessly, Alyssa's short fingers unfolded the neatly written letter from her father. It was the first of five, and contained nothing of interest to the little girl. The second, third, and fourth letters were all similarly mundane. Thus with a board sigh, Alyssa lazily opened the last letter, and gasped at what she read, causing the letter to fall from her grasp.

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Locking up the entrance to Nina's family mine, Natsuki wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her gloved covered hand. The gesture only further smeared the dirt across the girl's once clean, porcelain face. After hours of working in the mine, digging and sorting the ore from common rocks and dirt, Natsuki's once clean clothes was left dirty, with a thick layer of dust and grime. It was getting late, and the trek to the small cottage Youko drew on the map she made for Natsuki would take a few hours to reach. Exhaling tiredly, the cobalt haired woman readjusted the hiking pack strapped to her back, and started walking. It really didn't help that the mine was located on the western side of Kala Mountain, and the cottage was on the southern side.

Using the walking stick, Natsuki carried two ten pound bags filled with ore on either side of the poll; it was a technique she learned while living in Aswad Village, and it proved very efficient. She wanted to carry more, but considering the distance and time it would take her to reach the cottage, the young mechanic settled with taking only half of the ore she gathered for the day. Natsuki reasoned that she could always make a return trip in the morning.

From the angle of the shadows and the sun in the sky, Natsuki realized it was about an hour or two before the sun sets, and she would be left in the dark. Looking back at the map in hand, and the path before her, Natsuki grunted in annoyance. The path lead down, back towards the place she started that morning, and then forked off and ascended to the southern side where the cottage was located. Following the path would take several hours Natsuki calculated with annoyance, however if she just went straight, and cut through the side of the mountain, it would save her half the time. Smirking as green eyes read the compass strapped on her wrist again, Natsuki stuffed the map back into her pants pocket and left the marked path. She had survived in Aswad Village for the past four years, so Natsuki was more than confident she would survive something as simple as the _tiny hill_ called 'Kala Mountain.'

Moving at a swift pace and taking breaks every now and then, Natsuki had traveled in a steady south-western trajectory. Climbing over large boulders and weaving through thick aspen trees, the young woman made great progress. The woods seemed rather tame and boring to Natsuki, as it was nothing like the foreboding peaks or barren deserts of Aswad. The most the young woman has seen thus far was a mountain deer, a few jack rabbits, and the various mountain birds. There was nothing to be impressed by, as the woods here were far more docile than the savage outskirts of the desert country. Chuckling to herself Natsuki smirked proudly, had she been searching for ore in the jagged peaks of Aswad, she would have already been attacked by pumas or starving bears by now.

After an hour and a half of hiking, Natsuki paused atop of a large boulder, taking a small break to drink some water. Dropping the twenty pounds of ore and stretching tired muscles, Natsuki snacked on a granola bar. Pocketing the used wrapper, green eyes took in the serene view. The aspens were a beautiful vibrant green, and the entire area smelt of fresh rain. It was a majestic natural sight, one that surpassed the barren, rocky wastelands of Aswad.

Kala mountain was just teeming with life and growth. There was healthy foliage everywhere. The soil was a rich dark brown, soft and fertile. Even the sturdy boulder Natsuki was currently standing on had patches of moss growing on it's lower northern side. Everything, everywhere was just the picture perfect natural scene the young woman had only read about in books. It was calming to the young woman as her emerald eyes swept the forest again, never tiring of the green splendor.

Readying herself to begin the journey again, Natsuki paused as she readjusted the weight of the ore along her left shoulder. Something further down the mountain caught her eye.

Was that a shoe?

Hesitantly making her way down the side of the mountain, Natsuki noticed a few odd markings along the soft dirt. It looked as if something had recently rolled through, leaving broken branches and crushed vegetation in it's wake. Nearing the odd object, emerald eyed widened in surprise; the object was indeed a shoe!

The footwear looked new, although a bit dirty, it was strange as it was only one of a pair. Looking around curiously, and not seeing any one in the immediate vicinity, Natsuki frowned as she eyed the unnatural path before her. Something, or someone had created the path by dragging something large down the side of the mountain, and in the process lost a shoe. Gripping the poll across her left shoulder tighter, Natsuki unlatched the hunting knife and held the hilt in her right hand. Slowly following the disturbed undergrowth, Natsuki edged her way to dirt cliff and gasped at what she saw below.

The owner of the errant shoe lay unconscious a few yards below unmoving.

--

--

"Just where is that Bubuzuke-onna?!" Haruka yelled as she stalked back and forth in Elysium's private waiting room.

"I'm sure she's on her way, Haruka-chan." Yukino assured gently as she watched her girlfriend pace around like a caged lioness. They had been waiting for the others to return from their various activities for the past hour, and no one has shown up yet. Glancing down at her wrist watch, Yukino sighed. It was thirty minutes till the final photo shoot, and they were the only members of Elysium there.

"Yo!" Chie greeted as she walked through the door into the waiting room. Wearing a dashing grin and lightly running her hand through sweaty carbon hair, the slender woman flopped down on the couch next to Yukino with as much grace as a beached whale. "Did you miss me?" she asked playfully, whizzing a bit.

"No, but I did!" Haruka grunted as she pulled Chie up by the collar of the shorter girl's silk button up shirt. "Just where the hell were you? Didn't we agree that we'd all meet back here an hour before the last photography session?!"

"Easy now, Haruka-chan." Anh Lu patted the raging Haruka's shoulder. "We were having fun and simply forgot the time. Besides, we're here now, so calm down, ne? It's not good for your heart to be constantly angry."

Batting Anh's hand away, Haruka scoffed at the taller woman. Although they were the same age, and have known each other for years, Haruka begrudgingly let Chie's shirt collar go. Chie plopped back on the sofa as Haruka's blazing violet eyes glared at Anh. "Is Fujino with you?"

"I though she was with you." Chie muttered as she took the glass of water Yukino had offered her. Taking a few gulps of the liquid, Chie relaxed on the plush couch, the hike back was exhausting, and she was tired.

Taking the empty cup from her friend, Yukino frowned. "Where did you go Chie? You look exhausted."

Smiling as she walked past Haruka's ridged form, Anh made her way around the sofas. "We went to the 'Secret Enchanted Well Spring'" Anh declared as she took the empty glass from Yukino and poured herself a drink. Gulping down the contents with a happy sigh, Anh collapsed on the couch opposite of Yukino and rested her tired legs on the coffee table. "It was such a long trek, Yukino-chan! The well spring the locals always talk about is almost at the bottom of the mountain. I though we wouldn't be able to get back here in time."

"'Secret Enchanted Well Spring?'" Haruka asked as she sat beside Anh. "That sounds like a stupid tourist trap."

"Yeah, it was," Anh said as she leaned against Haruka, trying to catch her breath. She caught Yukino's intense gaze and winked at the girl, causing her to blush, before sitting back up. Anh didn't mean anything by the act, she was just flirtatious by nature, and she loved to see the reactions she could produce from those around her. "But the sight was well worth the hike, right Chie?"

Chie chuckled as she stretched tired muscles. "It was I suppose." The movement caused the overhead light to shine off of a newly acquired pendent, and instantly drew Haruka's and Yukino's eyes.

"I see you've got yourself a souvenir too," Yukino observed beside Chie, making the taller woman blush lightly. Said souvenir hung loosely around Chie's neck. It was a vile of clear water, most likely from the well spring, attached to a simple leather rope. A simple charm, but eloquent in it's simplicity Yukino's critical eye noted silently.

Rubbing the tip of her nose with the pad of her thumb, Chie smiled a crooked grin. "Yeah." the raven haired woman replied absentmindedly. She was in the company of her most trusted friends, and although they would teases her, she spoke up anyway. "It's actually a love charm." Hallard admitted with ease. She was a known shameless flirt, but even she knew when she needed help. Thus she wasn't at all ashamed to admit the meaning of the new item around her neck. After all, she honestly hoped it would help get the attention of the one girl that seemed immune to her charms.

"'Don't worry, Hon, with this lucky love charm, you'll have the girl of your dreams falling for you at the mere sight of you!'" Anh chuckled ruefully as she tried to re-enact the shop keeper's nasally voice. The enactment caused Haruka's brow to twitch, and Yukino to smile awkwardly. "Who would have thought that the irresistible Chie Hallard, would need a lowly love charm to woo the girl of her dreams! Oh but not just any girl, a girl you've only met once, and that was years ago!" wiping away the tears at the corner of her robin blue eyes, Anh clutched at her heart dramatically. "Ah, Chie my friend, I mourn your loss…but only for a moment, as I would gladly take your beautiful fan girls."

Chuckling at her friend's antics good naturedly, Chie stylishly flipped her hair back. "I would gladly give up any fan girl to you, just keep your hands off of my Aoi."

"Aoi? Sennoh Aoi?" Yukino asked with a perplexed look. Chie nodded with dreamy sigh, continued to play with the little vile absent mindedly. Looking towards Anh with questioning olive eyes, Anh's normally flirtatious grin turned into a lecherous smirk.

"Yup, Sennoh Aoi. The one and only girl that ever slapped our prince charming!" Anh's light chuckling echoed thought out the room. Eventually the brunette's laughing died down, and the four friends were left to gaze at each other and the lone clock as they waited for the rest of the group to gather. All the girls were dressed similarly in black dress pants, and cream colored silk blouses from the photo shoot in the afternoon, they wondered idly about what Elysium's next photo session would entail.

Haruka's violet eyes stared to the clock in the room, glaring a burning hole into the device as the seconds ticked away. It was fifteen minutes till their photo shoot and they were still missing the other four members of their group.

Luckily the door opened, and Reito strolled in. "Good, everyone is here." the young man said as he stood behind the couch Chie and Yukino were sitting at. Noticing a member was absent, he asked, concern filling his soft voice. "Hmm….where's Shizuru?"

"Wasn't she with you?" Anh asked, all joking aside as she sat up. "And where's Alyssa-chan and Miyu-san?"

Creasing dark brows, Reito regarded the four women in the room, all were giving him curious stares. "Alyssa-chan and Miyu-san returned to the Republic of Aries. I just returned from dropping them off at Kala Station. Apparently Alyssa-chan's mother recently regained consciousness, and Alyssa-chan wanted to see her mother immediately. They'll be away for a few days, but they will be back in time for the final concert. Now as for Shizuru-chan…I was sure she went off to explore the mountain with you two." Nodding his head in Anh and Chie's direction, Reito remained calm despite the growing dread he felt swelling in the pit of his stomach. Shizuru had been his best friend since they were five, if anything happened to her, he'd never forgive himself.

"EH?!" Haruka hollered as she bolted up from her position on the sofa. She was the head of security, and one of Elysium's members, no--one of her best friends--has gone missing under her watch?! The though was insanely ludicrous! Jumping over the sofa, Haruka easily lifted the slender man off the floor. "She was with you last! You said you left her in the dinning hall before you came to interview Yukino and myself."

Not at all bothered that his feet were dangling a foot off the floor, Reito tried to smile reassuringly to Haruka, even though the grip on his collar made it difficult to breath. Haruka always acted like this when ever anything happened to their childhood friend. "Please Haruka, I'm just as worried as you."

"Haruka-chan, please, put Reito-san down." Yukino tried to appease Haruka's rage, and as expected, the soothing voice of Yukino always calmed Haruka. As Elysium's manager was able to set his feet upon the floor again, he sent a grateful half smile towards his savior. "I'm sure the resort has cameras." Yukino continued, "We could simply ask to see the footage to find out where Shizuru when and what happened to her."

"Great idea Yukino." Chie nodded in agreement, then an idea struck her. "What about the photo shoot?" she asked worriedly, turning to the lone man in the room. It wouldn't do to have the photography team wait on them, but perhaps one of them saw Shizuru earlier in the day.

"I've already canceled the shoot with them before taking Alyssa-chan and Miyu-san to Kala Station. Before then, the two were waiting for Shizuru-chan in the dinning hall, but we never caught sight of her." Reito's expression darkened, and so did the mood in the room.

Clearing her throat, Anh spoke as she stood by the coffee table. "I'll start asking around, maybe somebody saw her. She wasn't too keen on doing another photo shoot, so maybe she decided to ditch out on us. It's not like this is the first time Zuru-chan decided to wander off. Who knows, maybe she actually meet someone interesting to spend her time with. Heh, I bet she's having fun without us right now!" Anh attempted humor to lessened the group's panic a little, and it did somewhat, but determination shone brightly in each of their eyes. Each of them knew that although Shizuru liked to wander off and meet new and interesting people every now and then, the Kyoto woman _always_ informed one of them before she left. So it was beyond strange that no one knew where Shizuru was, in fact it sent dread to the pit of their stomachs as they recalled a similar experience that happened years ago.

The one time an obsessive fan took Shizuru hostage.

Shivering at the memory, Anh's steadfast blue eyes bore into each member worried orbs. _'It'll be alright, we'll find her.'_ The members of Elysium nodded to the silent reassurance. No matter what, they would locate their missing friend. "Alright, let's all meet back here in one hour. Hopefully Zuru-chan just forgot about the time, and she's safe. If anything, let's pray this isn't another incident with a crazed fan, so lets get going!"

With that, Elysium bolted out of the private room in search of their missing member.

--

--

Shizuru awoke feeling stiff and disoriented. Shizuru's head hurt, but she had a clear view of the dimming sky. Frowning as she felt a sharp rock continue to dig into her back, the young woman groaned as she tried to pull the offending rock out from under her. Successfully tossing the jagged rock a few feet away, the chestnut haired woman continued to lie on the ground. It hurt to move, and Shizuru was just out of energy.

Looking up again, cloudy red eyes could see the multiple branches of the aspen trees that surrounded her. Blinking slowly, the sounds of the cicada seemed to thunder in her aching mind. She fell. Exhaling deeply, and using slender hands, Shizuru groped around her for a way to sit up. Gingerly moving, the violinist sat up, and hearing a few of her bones pop in protest, the young woman slowly looked around her surroundings.

A few feet away was the carcass of the wild dog. Apparently the fall had killed him. Frowning at the disturbing sight, Shizuru used the near by aspen tree trunk to pull herself up.

Only a few hours ago she was out strolling around the resort, intent on finding the freshwater stream that stemmed from the peaks of Kala Mountain, and ran through the resort's grounds, to finally basin out at the mountains' southern side. The locals were very keen on telling anyone that visited the resort of the legend of the freshwater basin. How those lucky, and adventurous enough to search for the spring would receive health, luck, and everlasting love; or some sort of hear say. It was a tourist trap, and a poorly disguised one at that Shizuru reasoned. However knowing Anh and Chie, she was sure they would have sought out this 'enchanting well spring.' After talking to an old man sweeping along the pool, Shizuru had discovered that her suspicions were indeed correct, as the old man had seen Chie and Anh head off in the direction of the spring.

Thus with determined resolve, Shizuru began her trek southwards alone, intent on finding this lake, or pond, or whatever it was. The Kyoto woman knew without a doubt, that if she wanted to find Anh-han and Chie-han to be present when Alyssa-chin interviewed them, she would find them at the well spring. It was so like Anh to be taken with legends and folklore, and Chie was too curious and easy going to say 'no' to their spontaneous leader.

After a while of nothing but tentatively walking further, and further down the mountain path, Shizuru paused at a clearing. The old man at the resort had clearly told her that her friends had went in search of the enchanting well spring that was located on the southern side of the mountain. All she had to do was follow the path, but the path ended, and there was nothing but the clearing.

Frowning in annoyance, as she had wasted a good deal of her time in getting lost, Shizuru turned around, determined to find the misleading old man and have a few kind words with him. However as Shizuru began the trek back to the resort, a low growl stopped her in her tracks.

Turning around slowly, she came face to face with a wild dog. Shizuru's frown deepened. Although she was dressed casually in dress pants and low heeled dress shoes, the young musician knew she could never out run the wild beast. The silk crème blouse she was wearing seemed to cling to her, as Shizuru continued to stare down the animal. When she had left the safety of the resort, the Kyoto woman was sure she would meet someone interesting, yet she had never expected to meet a wild animal.

Shizuru's sharp mind analyzed the situation, her ruby eyes never leaving the crazed gleam of the salivating creature. The situation was not in her favor as she was alone, and without a way to defend herself. The good thing though, her mind reasoned, was that there was only one dog, and it was not very big. It was actually rather scrawny, malnourish even, as the ridges of it's ribs and spine could be seen despite the matted, tanned fur. The canine was starved from the looks if it, and there were multiple scars marring it's lanky body. The creature snarled once more before it broke out into an all out charge towards the chestnut haired woman.

The last thing Shizuru remembered was running, and running as fast as she could. Cursing her luck, she wished has had a stick, or even a purse to hit the crazed dog with. Although she was vastly knowledgeable in many forms of martial arts and weaponry, the intense fear and shock of encountering a wild and rabid animal, was something that has never happened before. It was completely unexpected.

After a minute of weaving through the trees, struggling for a way to shake the rabid creature off her trail, and recollect her thoughts, Shizuru realized in dismay that she was no longer running uphill towards the safety of the resort. Instead she was running downhill with the pull of inertia. It was at that moment of dread that the beast jumped her from behind, and before she knew it, the two were tumbling down the side of the mountain. The roll seemed to go on forever, until the mountain side seemed to drop completely, as Shizuru recalled a moment of free falling.

Scoffing to herself at her luck, the battered musician spared one last glance towards the corpse of her attacker. The end of the rabid creature seemed fitting, but only annoyed Shizuru further as she was now, no doubt, completely lost. It looked like the sun was setting too, just great, it really could not get any worse, her aching mind groaned. Then she hear it, and froze instantly. It was the sound of small pebbles being dislodged and vegetation being crushed under foot.

Turning slightly from her place on the forest ground, ruby eyes watched with a growing sense of dread, as a large bag was tossed from atop the cliff. Then another bag followed suit, the contents spilling across the soil a few yards to her right. It was ore. The precious metal embedded rocks shining as it caught the rays of the dying sun.

Gripping a fist full of dirt, Shizuru gulped, as she recalled the only ore mine located on the mountain was closed off due to it's workers being on strike. Cursing could be heard from above, which only confirmed the musician's thoughts. This new intruder was human, and in the possession of ore; ore of which was supposed to have been sealed off.

Ruby eyes darting back to the stiff body of the dog, and suddenly Shizuru wished it wasn't dead, as a wild dog was far easier to deal with than the suspicious newcomer. Because humanity has proven to be far more cruel, and heartless, than any animal known to man.

There was movement to her right, and glancing back quickly, Shizuru mourned her traitorous luck once more. It had officially gotten worse. Now she was going to be attacked by a mountain bandit. _Just great._

--

--

Scowling at the spilled ore, Natsuki jumped down from the six foot ledge. She should have turned back and walked away when she saw the body laying motionless at the bottom of the dwarfed cliff. She wanted to run way, she wanted nothing to do with this! Yet when she finally turned away to begin her trek to the cottage as if nothing had happened, she heard a low groan, and stopped dead in her tracks. Furring her brows and gritting her teeth, Natsuki turned back around, against her better judgment, and peered down at the injured woman again.

She had to help. Natsuki didn't want to, _she_ _had to._ After all, her own mother would be dead, if not for the kindness of a stranger that pulled Saeko Kruger out of the over turned car four, almost five, years ago. Although her mother was now a vegetable, in a coma-like status for the past few years, Natsuki could not deny she was grateful for the selfless act of one stranger.

"Oi, you alright there?" Natsuki's voice came out deeper and gruffer than she intended, and caused her to cringe at the obviously stupid question.

The injured woman hesitated and regarded the new comer suspiciously.

Perhaps helping wasn't such a good idea, Natsuki frowned as a personal experience resurfaced in her mind and caused her to shiver. It has only been a few months since her run in with the crazed mountain witch, Shiho Huit, and she still bore the mark of the curse to testify of it. Frowning deeply, with her hands raised to show she meant no harm, Natsuki slowly kneeled to be eye level with the scruffy looking woman. They were almost eight feet away from each other, but the distance didn't seem enough. Forcing herself not to shrink back, Natsuki tried to analyze the situation.

The woman definitely looked wild; her clothes were torn and tattered in some places, dirty from rolling around in the dirt apparently. Long brown hair was unkempt and messy, bits of twigs and leaves were sticking out a various places and added to her savage look. She was missing a shoe too. Slender brows shot upwards, recalling the item that lead her to the crazed woman in the first place; Natsuki slowly reached into the side pocket of her hiking pack to retrieve the missing shoe.

The movement caused the injured woman to instinctively scoot back. Shizuru was weary of the newcomer. Dressed in dirty, mud covered hiking booths, and torn grimy jeans, the intruder was a woman, as the filthy tan tank top looked soiled with dirt and sweat. The woman was obviously digging in the private mine located on Kala Mountain, having most likely stolen all the ore that lay behind the thief. Although gloved hands were held up in a calming gesture, the musician watched the emerald eyed girl closely. For all Shizuru knew, the bandit before her could be taking out another weapon, as if the large hunting knife strapped to her side wasn't enough.

"Um…I found this…" Natsuki forced herself to act calmly, as she pulled out the wild woman's other shoe from her hiking pack. She had to stay calm, she didn't want to antagonize the woman, since the woman could attack her any minute, so Natsuki had to be careful. The last thing she wanted was another curse.

Eyeing her left shoe that was placed between them for a few seconds, Shizuru's ruby eyes darted to her left bare foot. It seems that during the tumble she had indeed managed to lose a shoe. Staring deeply into the clear emerald eyes of the mountain bandit, Shizuru tried to judge the dirt covered face before her. She found nothing but weary honesty, and she refused to trust it, as even her most loyal fans proved to be malicious in their unhealthy obsession towards her.

Feeling uncomfortable at the intensity of the feral woman's stare, Natsuki huffed, her patience wearing thin. "Look, I was just passing by the area when I found you. You're clearly not alright, so do you need my help or not?"

Annoyed at the girl's harsh tone of voice, Shizuru scoffed. "And what help could a bandit possibly provide? I'm in no need of any assistance from the likes of you." It was her attempt at being bold, and Shizuru hoped it would scare off the thug. Struggling to stand, and using the aspen tree as a support, the violinist stood to tower over the still kneeling crook. However pain shot up from her swollen left ankle, causing her to gasp sharply, and nearly loose her footing. Luckily she still held on to the aspen to keep her unsteady balance.

Mouth agape at the accusation, Natsuki stared at the savage woman in shock, too lost in thought to have noticed the other's weakened state. '_Me, a bandit?!' _Natsuki thought in aggravated rage. Standing tall, and sending a cold glare to the witch before her, Natsuki gnashed her teeth in annoyance at being shorter than the mad woman. "Tch! Suit yourself. It'll be dusk soon, and I have no intention of being in the company of a crazed mountain wanderer!"

Ignoring the irritated burn of the witch's red eyes, Natsuki gathering the bags of ore quickly, and retied them to the pole. She never should have turned back. She should have just kept walking, and minded her own business. Settling the pole across her should, the cobalt haired girl made it a point to never take her glaring eyes off of the witch. The last time she had turned her back to a crazed spell caster, Shiho had cursed her for not aiding the deranged witch. Natsuki stopped mid step, the pole hovering just inches about resting across her right shoulder. Crap. Natsuki slowly realized, that she really didn't need _another_ spell put on her.

Clenching her gloved covered fist, and regarding the mountain witch again, Natsuki gritted her teeth in annoyance. "Look," she exhaled deeply, and tried to look apologetic to the upset taller woman before her, "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry okay? It's just getting late, and I don't want to be caught in the dark. I've been told there's a pack of wild dogs roaming around here, and…"

Following the girl's emerald gaze, Shizuru glanced down at the carcass of the wild dog that attacked her from before, and frowned. There was _a pack_ of wild dogs? That bit of information didn't sit well with her, and looking back at the dirty bandit, Shizuru wondered why there was a sudden shift in attitude. "You were saying, Bandit-han?" Shizuru spoke coolly, causing green eyes to snap back to her as the bandit's dark brows creased in annoyance.

"I was saying," the short outlaw bit out, causing Shizuru's ruby eyes to focus solely on the weary thief's stormy pools of viridian. "That if you, _Majou-sama, _need any aid, or assistance, I would…_gladly_…offer my services to you." Although the bandit offered aid through gritted teeth, Shizuru felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips. "Provided you not curse me," the shorter girl mumbled, but it was loud enough for the violinist to hear, and it caused the smile to widen. The bandit was afraid of her, Shizuru realized with amused delight. In fact, the girl before her, thought she was some kind of witch, capable of casting spells and the like. _'Interesting,' _Shizuru thought analytically.

Using the misconception to her advantage, Shizuru asserted her confidence and took control of the situation. Standing taller and ignoring the pain from her ankle, she wore a confident smile and spoke lightly, as she crossed the distance and retrieved her errant shoe. "Ara, I am glad you realized who I am, and what I'm capable of doing, Bandit-han." Shizuru chuckled softly as the woman before her scowled, apparently believing the reinforced delusion. "You see it is growing dark, and I am far from my lodgings…" It was not a lie, as the thought of being left alone in the dark forest, completely lost, unnerved her. Thus Shizuru hoped the girl before her would continue to believe the lie, because so long as the bandit feared her, Shizuru would be the one in power, and she would have nothing to fear of the bandit.

Biting back a curse, Natsuki's scowl deepened. The witch before her just confirmed her power, and if she's anything like the insane Shiho, Natsuki really had to be careful, as she had barely managed to escape Shiho's frenzied wrath alive. "Fine…I know of a cottage near by." Glum at the prospect of sharing the cottage with a crazy woman, Natsuki kept her head down as she walked pass the witch and headed south. However when Natsuki head no footsteps behind her or following her, she turned back and with questioning eyes, frowned at the motionless woman. _'Ugh! She hasn't even moved yet!' _Natsuki thought with annoyance.

"Oi, at least keep up!" the gruff voice snapped Shizuru out of her daze. She had expected the bandit to help her return to the resort, not offer to lead her elsewhere. Suddenly not so sure about the plan, Shizuru hesitated, even as the dirt covered bandit approached her. "Oi, do you want to stay here all night?"

"No." came the chestnut haired woman's quick reply.

"Then let's go." the bandit urged through grit teeth, and once again turned around and walked away.

Scrambling after the descending thief, Shizuru tried her best to ignore the pain shooting up from her left ankle. She wouldn't be left behind, and she wouldn't show any weaknesses towards the heartless bandit. "Ikezu" the violinist muttered as she followed the shorter girl through the woods.

The sun was setting and casting an eerie glow across the mountain, as it's dying light faded into the west. Mountain birds were silent, and even the cicada's drone hum seemed to soften, as the chirpings of thousands upon thousands of crickets echoed across the silent mountain. Struggling to keep up with the quick pace of the cobalt haired girl, Shizuru tried her best to follow the darkening path southward. In her hurried state, she failed to notice the steep inclination of the slope, and misjudged her footing. For the second time that day, Shizuru tumbled, this time landing on her knees as she skidded to a pain filled stop.

Hearing a surprised yelp from behind her, Natsuki whirled around, and saw the chestnut haired witch fall to her knees. With a curse under her breath, the mechanic rushed towards the fallen woman in assistance. "Can you stand?" she asked pointedly, being sure not to try and touch the girl, in case she gets cursed for her efforts. It was the first time Natsuki stood close to the mountain witch, and with the waning rays of the sun's light, viridian orbs noticed the extent of the injured woman. Cuts and scraps adorned the taller girl's frame, as the dark pants was reduced to tattered rags, showing off scrapped and bloody knees. It looked painful.

"I'm fine." Shizuru heaved out, as she bit her lip to try and quell the cry she felt raising in her. She was never going to climb a mountain ever again! Inhaling sharply through her nose, Shizuru tried to stand, completely ignoring the bandit's offered hand. She would show her, Shizuru's mind screamed, she'd prove that she didn't need the help of a mine raider.

Trying in vain to ignore the burn of rejection at her offer to help, Natsuki huffed as the spell caster once again tried to stand on her own, only to fall back down. She felt a morbid sense of satisfaction overcome her, and with a self discussed grimace, Natsuki shook the feeling out of her head. Turning away, she undid the bags tied to the poll, and handed the walking stick to the crouched woman. "Here." she offered to the injured witch behind her, not bothering to turn around. Figuring that if she was the one injured, she wouldn't want someone to see her in a pitiful weakened state. Natsuki sighed as she continued to look away, and at nothing in particular. Emerald eyes seemed to wander everywhere and nowhere at once, until they widened in delight at the sight of the cottage ahead.

Surprised at the pole being offered to her, Shizuru stared at the backpack strapped to the woman before her. _'Is this some sort of act of compassion'_ she wondered. Tentatively taking the offered walking stick, Shizuru used it to stand, and smiled at the reassuring support.

"Let's go. The cottage is only a few meters away." was all the bandit said before resuming her pace down the side of the mountain. This time though, she walked a little slower Shizuru noted, as she was able to keep up with the cobalt haired girl.

To Shizuru's utmost relief an outline of a small hut came into view just as the last rays of the sun faded over the horizon. The hut was indeed only a few meters away, and with the added support of the walking stick, the Kyoto woman was able to push the pain she felt all over her body to the back of her mind. Rest was in sight, and she would make it. She had come so far on her own strength, and she just couldn't wait to get cleaned up and tend to her open, dirty wounds.

As the two dirty and tired woman approached the lone stone and wood cottage, the sound of a rushing stream echoed nearby. Taking out a flashlight, the cobalt haired girl illumined their path, careful to shine enough light so the injured woman behind her wouldn't stumble again. Standing at the porch of the empty cottage, the two noticed the quant stone building was built on the bank of the stream, and a small watermill was leisurely rotating in the stream creating soft creaks and muted splashes of water. With a grunt the emerald eyed woman dug into her pockets and fished out a key to unlock the house.

The action surprised Shizuru as she had thought the bandit would simply break in, however the girl owned a key. Perhaps she had misjudged the dirty thief and the cottage was actually the girl's home? That thought caused the blond to pause in entering the stone house after the shorter girl. She didn't trust the bandit, she didn't know the girl's intentions, so she didn't enter.

Entering the house, flashlight in hand, Natsuki dropped the two ten pound bags of ore she had slung over her should to the wooden floor carelessly. The weight of the metal filled rocks had caused a deep welt to form on her once smooth shoulder, and no amount of padding had saved her from the deep red imprint. It really hurt, and just rotating her left shoulder to un-strap her hiking pack sent jolts of pain to her left side. Discarding the pack by the door along with the bags of ore, Natsuki worked her way further into the cottage, shining her flight light to guide her to the neatly stack pile of firewood.

Soon a small fire was started in the low fireplace, and returning to the over stuffed bag by the door, Natsuki pulled out the propane florescent lantern. Turning the lantern on, the added white light illumined the single room cottage. With a satisfied smile, Natsuki placed the gas lantern on small table in the center of the room.

The cottage was mostly barren, aside from the pile of firewood, a lone table, two wooden chairs, and one wooden bed. There were two doors at the back; one was a closet filled with bedding and sheets, and the other door lead to the back of the cottage where the mill was discovered along with a small washroom. Returning back from the mill area of the cottage, Natsuki cocked her head to the side, as she noticed the strange woman was staring at her from her place at the porch. How long has she been there just staring at her? "O…Oi! What are you doing just standing there!" A bit unnerved by the odd behavior, the mechanic tried to beckon the silent woman in. "Hurry up and come in so we can clean up those wounds."

Startled out of her trance, Shizuru cautiously made her way into the single room structure. The house was too barren to be the lodgings of the bandit, so perhaps the shorter woman did not live here. Taking a seat at one of the two chairs by the table, Shizuru watched the dirt covered girl return to the dark gray hiking pack by the door. Taking out what looked like a small sack, the bandit shut the cabin door and locked it. The resounding sound of the lock sliding into place sent a shiver of dread thorough Shizuru, as her hold on the walking staff tightened. If anything, armed with the poll, Shizuru was more than confident she could defend herself should she be attacked by the smaller girl armed with the large hunting knife. After all, she was an expert at the Zipang Naginata, Shizuru was sure she still held the upper hand.

"Here." Natsuki said evenly as she left the small sack on the edge of the table by the tense woman. The chestnut haired woman looked calm and aloof, but the knuckles gripping the walking staff were stark white. Thus with caution, Natsuki was sure to not get too close to the wild woman. "There's a washroom in the back." Natsuki said nodding her head towards the back door when ruby eyes met her own emerald pools. "Get cleaned up, and we'll dress the wounds on your knees and your sprained ankle. In the sack you'll find everything you'll need." With that said Natsuki turned, and went to her larger pack by the door.

Astonished by the order, Shizuru frowned at the back of the shorter woman. It was then that crimson eyes noticed a large angry welt across the girl's left shoulder that was barely covered by the fabric of the tank top. Not wanting to ponder too long on the other girl's own injured and tired state, ruby orbs tore away from the lean figure, glancing to the bags of ore by the door. Shizuru slowly took the offered sack at the edge of the table and made her way to the back washroom.

The water in the washroom was cool to the touch and soothing as the Kyoto born woman gently ran the water over her swollen ankle. With the door securely locked and the walking stick wedged against the door and the wall of the small room, Shizuru peeled the clothes off of her injured and battered body. Inspecting the damage as much as she could without a mirror, the violinist sighed as she noticed various parts of her body covered in bruises and little cuts and scraps. By far her knees and left ankle were the worse of her injures.

Inside the small sack Shizuru was pleased to find all the needed toilettes and even a few sets of clothing to change into. It seemed like the thief outside had enough sets of clean clothes to last a few days. Quirking a brow at the silky lingerie, the musician briefly admired the emerald eyed girl's taste in undergarments, before quickly getting dressed.

Exiting the washroom in loose fitting sweat pants and a t-shirt, Shizuru hobbled over to the table once again. Atop the table now sat a rather large first aid kit next to the propane lantern, but the bandit was no where in sight. Taking the kit, Shizuru deftly dressed her wounded knees and wrapped the swollen ankle. Smiling at the efficiently completed job, the Kyoto woman took some time to actually look around the room. A pot of water lightly simmered over the small fire, and two bowls of instant ramen was left off to the side. Was it left out for her, Shizuru briefly wondered. Even the once barren wooded bed was made up with bedding and looked rather comfortable, but there was still no signs of the other girl, or another set of bedding.

Frowning at the uneasy disappearance of the other girl, Shizuru made her way towards the discarded hiking pack and bags of ore still left by the door. There were no windows, so there was no way of looking out without opening the door. The door which was currently unlocked. Feeling curiosity get the better of her, and honestly wondering where the cobalt haired girl could have gone to, Shizuru opened the wooded door to the cottage.

As the door swung back into the cottage, gone was Natsuki's support, and she fell back into the cottage from her sitting position against the door. Staring up into shocked crimson eyes, viridian eyes blinked back in surprise. "Ara?" the witch spoke, mostly out of surprise, Natsuki realized as she continued to stare up at the girl above her. Gone was the wild woman's feral look, replaced by the refreshed air and clean clothes of a new woman. It was like the mountain witch had become a whole new, less savage person, and it stupefied the mechanic for a few moments.

The girl's expression was truly amazing to witness Shizuru admitted to herself as she watched surprise, shock, anger, and even wonder, play across the shorter girl's face. It was interesting to see the pure curiosity and hesitation shining in clear emerald eyes, and for a moment, the violinist found herself lost gazing into those transparent pools. Feeling her mouth quirk into an amused half smile, Shizuru spoke. "Ara, ara…I had not realized Bandit-had intended to sleep outside."

The softly spoken words caused Natsuki to blush lightly, embarrassed to have fallen backwards like that, and even more embarrassed that she was staring up at the woman before her. Mumbling a few cursing, the mechanic pushed herself up and dusted herself off. All traces of the blush gone. "I thought Majou-san would like some privacy while tending to her wounds. I had not expected her to take so long though."

Allowing the shorter girl passage to walk into the one room dwelling, Shizuru could not decided whether to be touched by the thoughtfulness of the stranger, or annoyed by the rude remarks. She settled on ignoring the feelings, and just watching the strange bandit instead.

They ate their dinner in silence, neither one directly looking at the other, but stealing glances while they thought the other wasn't looking. Never had instant noodles tasted so good to Shizuru, but she supposed it was due to her famousness that made the meal so fulfilling.

"I'm going to wash up now. You can take the bed." Natsuki said as she set the used ramen bowl down on the table.

"You made the bed, so you can have it." Shizuru said as she watched the bandit make her way to the washroom.

"You're injured, take the bed." was all the commanding bandit said as she disappeared behind the washroom's door. The steely demand, although spoken softly in the bandit's low, deep voice, nevertheless caused Shizuru to frown. She was injured yes, but she didn't need to be ordered around by some stranger. Angered that she had no say in the matter, Shizuru glared at the closed door of the washroom. After a few minutes of glaring, and feeling exhausted, the violinist shook her head in disbelief with herself. She was acting strangely she knew, but the whole situation was strange to her to begin with.

Exhaling a tired breath, the ruby eyed woman made her way to the closet and pulled out some sheets and bedding. Making a neat bed for herself on the floor, Shizuru eased herself down. She was a strong woman. She didn't need to be babied, nor ordered around like a mindless idiot she reasoned to herself. However a part of her wanted to be touched by the care she was given by the stranger, even though it was given begrudgingly, it was still given. By far, this shady bandit has been the kindest stranger she has ever met. Not even the hundreds of adoring fans could compare to gentle enigma that was this emerald eyed girl, who has done nothing but offer assistance. _"What an interesting girl." _Shizuru thought before she succumbed to sleep.

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Inside the washroom Natsuki sighed. When she had allowed the dark blonde woman to take the sack to wash up, she had forgotten that in said sack had her lingerie. Thus embarrassed out of her mind, Natsuki had left the confines of the cottage and sat outside trying to calm down. The distance worked as forest green eyes stared up at the half moon in the sky, lost in the trance of a comfortable silence. In the distance owls hooted and crickets continued to chirp, the background noises lulled the mechanic to a relax state. Even inside the washroom, the sounds of wildlife reverberated in the small room and served to further calm the young woman. Scrubbing the dirt and grime that clung to her every pore, Natsuki shivered as she washed up in the chilly water.

Dressed in lose fitting cotton pants and a tank top, Natsuki exited the washroom and saw the mountain spell caster sleeping on the floor. The sight made her frown as thoughts of a cranky witch ready to cast spells filled her mind. However driving those thoughts away with a shake of her head, Natsuki towel dried her hair further and sat before the open low fire to warm up. Freshly clean and relaxed, the cobalt haired girl applied a cream to her bruised shoulder and watched the dancing flames. It was at times like these that she felt a pang of longing. She wanted to see her mom and her little sister. She missed them greatly, having not seen either of them for almost five years, but she couldn't go back. Natsuki was banished from Aries. If she tried to set foot in the Republic of Aries, or anywhere near Alyssa, she would be arrested and carted off to prison again. She really didn't need, or want, to spend another moment in the caged cells of the Aries Police Department. That's why she had stayed away, Natsuki sighed deeply.

Feeling a bit depressed at the thought, Natsuki pushed herself up. "Some things can't be helped." she whispered to herself as she stared into the dying fire. Taking her sleeping bag out from her hiking pack, Natsuki prepared for bed, and turned off the lantern. Soon sleep overcame her.

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AN: Has anyone ever gone hiking in the mountains before? I have, and carrying around all that weight is really tiring! I only had a twenty pound pack and my group hiked around for miles and miles all day for three days. I was dead tired when night fell, but it was a lot of fun.

I actually fell once while mountain climbing. It was not a fun experience, as the drop was a good ten feet from one boulder ledge to the bottom of a pit. A rotting tree trunk helped break my fall, and I was lucky the ground was soft dirt, but boy did that make the rest of the hike a pain in the bum.

Anyways, I'm sorry for all the long annoying AN's, I'll stop now! ^^; But don't forget, R&R and vote! Thanks!

-Jyuami


	4. Chapter 4

The Classical Side of Love

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the series Mai HiME or Mai Otome, Sunrise does.

**AN:**

**1. **First off, thanks for all the many kind reviews, I know I'm a horrible procrastinator, so I'll just reply to those that reviewed here. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll never get around to responding to you wonderful readers. So for those of you who wish, just scroll down to the chapter.

**2. **I apologize for the very late update. But due to unforeseen health issues I was unable to continue writing for a bit. So thanks to everyone that has stuck with me and waited for this update. I made this chapter extra long, so I hope you'll enjoy that.

**3. **Many thanks goes out to my wonderful beta Balit! With out her constant support, I think I would have given up writing a long time ago. Haha….

**4. **Okay thanks for reading and sticking with me. You have no idea how au'some you all are. (big grin). Okay so the rest will be replies to the reviews. I'm really sorry I'm so horrible at this, but here goes!

**Raiet: **Thank you for the nice review! :D

**Shy-Rainbow: **Thanks, I hope you like the next chapter.

**Ninnypants: **au'some name! Thanks for the comment. :D

**Sacred07: **thank you. Don't worry, Natsuki and Alyssa will meet again! (I want to say they will meet in the next chapter, but eh, it might be the one after that depending. Ehehe, (sweat drop). As to why Natsuki got banished from Aries, well that's cuz she doesn't get along with her step dad. .cELLOMa2 will definitely come into play later in the story, so I hope you'll look forward to meeting them. :D

**Lildevilish: **I'm glad you find Natsuki and Shizuru's misconception funny, I know I did. XD

**Goat13: **Woo! A fellow hiker! *high five* Hiking in Sweden is like a dream for me! It's too bad about your hypothermia though, that's harsh! But it's great that you survived that. I once got phenomena from hiking and camping out in the Rockies, the mountains in Colorado, so I know how miserable the cold can be.

**Loveless: ***passes a tissue* XD I'm glad you're liking it thus far.

**Chum-sa**: thanks for voting and commenting! XD *hugs*

**Lindred: **I'm glad you liked their meeting, and you're right, Alyssa and Natsuki can meet another day. Thanks for reviewing and your understanding! :D

**Brain Damage: **thanks for the comment!

**Nuggi: **Thanks for the review! I totally know what you mean, I'm more of a reader than a writer, so I appreciate the comment. :] I'm glad you like the story thus far, so I hope I can continue to entertain you with the next chapter. XD

**Lolanoreally: **yay another fellow hiker! *high five* lol the first time I went on a hiking trip I feel so many times too, when I came back my mom was horrified. But dang! you had BOTH your ankles sprained and you didn't know about it?! You're just amazing. Hands down.

**ALEXISSA2**: LOL! XD yup little fling in the cottage for sure! Nothing too straight forward, but I hope you'll like it. *wink* As for Shiho, that girl's just crazy! Every time I watch her in MO I think, 'dang I'd hate to get Maki-maki'ed by her!'

**Emtz95: **thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the chapter. :D eh, give them time, and it'll be ShizxNatty goodness all the way. XD

**Krugern: ***tight hug* ah Krugern, buddy, I just love reading your reviews! They make me squeal like a school girl. XD I'm totally hyped up that you liked all those points. Some times I feel like a lot of people don't notice those small details, and I get worried if I should just cut them out. ._. But then when people do notice all those little things I feel like it was totally worth being all long and boring with the details. Hahahaha.. As for My Musume, I'm using a new way of organizing all my notes into something a bit more coherent, so it's really slow going. But I'm really excited about the next chapter of MM, so that should be out soon. XD.

**Akira Sasaki: **many thanks for your review! It totally made me lol. But hey, don't you know? Jogging and hiking are horrible sports! Why? Because they are the ones that always find the dead people. X_X Okay, lame joke, sorry. (sweat drop). Anyways of course Shizuru thinks highly of herself! She's the super au'some, super HOT Kaichou in Mai HiME, and the Bewitching Smile Amethyst in Otome, with tons of fans. As for the kind Natsuki…well we all know she's really a cute girl on the inside. *wink* Woo! Fellow otaku love! Lol XD

**Ume sama: **I'm glad you liked the love charm and Anh's teasing. :]

**Colorfulsunrise514: **hehe, I'm glad you like this type of love story. I love the love at first sight theme too, but when ever I try to write one, it always comes out like 'blah.' lol.

**CapActive4: **thanks for the review! I'm so glad you like the details! It makes me so happy. Haha, when you mentioned plot, I had to snicker, I'm sorry! But the reason this update was so late in showing was because I DIDN'T have an actual plot. XP But I've fixed that now, so hopefully I'll keep your attention. :D

**MyPennamehasbeentaken: **yay for realism! XD If I had a tail, it would be wagging right now! XD thanks I'm happy you like the length. I'm really trying to get this individual plot per chapter thing down right, so yeah. Thanks for always bearing with my erratic updates!

**ShayP: **Thank you for reviewing! It's so nice to see the comments of fellow authors here. But you know, I'm just amazed at the speed and length of your updates! I'm away for a few months, and I'm just blown away by how far Monster has progressed! Anyways I hope I'll continue to hold your interest. :D

**Freyia: **LOL oh you have totally got it! Natsuki's reaction when she realized that Shizuru is no witch is just priceless! At least it is in my mind. The only issue I have is getting it to flow right on paper. XD

**Noraily: **thanks for the comment. XD

**PandorasTube: **Thanks for the review! :D Yup the chapter in which Natsuki realizes Shizuru is no witch is gonna be fun! XD I hope you'll stick around to read it. :]

**Bobo-q: **Gasp! Do you know what your comment has done to me?! You totally stopped my heart there! (pounce) XD Well I have you know I'm working on MM, but it's so slow! MM is my Mai HiME story, so I'm really attached to it, so I want it to be perfect! The sad thing is every time I write a part of it, I end up scraping the idea because everything turns out like 'blah.' DX Anyways I'll never forget about MM cuz I've got you to remind me. *hug* right? Lol

**Lollerpoop: **Thanks for the review! I hope you'll like the next chapter too. :D

**Hanazono: **hmm I haven't seen any snakes when I went hiking, I think it was too cold for them up on the mountains. But I love snakes, I used to have a python for a few years till it got so big my mom made me get rid of it. I cried for days.

**The Chronic Meltdown: **Is it okay if I hug you? Cuz your review was just way too cute! XD No offense! But I really appreciated your review. So thanks! :]

Okay I think that is everyone. Whew, I swear I'll try to never let things build up like this again! (sweat drop). Anyways, on to the chapter!

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**Chapter Four**

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_In a darken room, only the sound of labored breathing was heard. The sole occupant of the room was powerless. Bound and gagged, only frantic ruby eyes were allowed freedom of movement. She did not know how long she was there for. Day most likely; yet it has only been a few hours since she was left alone. Now was her chance. She had to think of a way to get out of the room, away from the obsessed fan. _

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Shizuru awoke with a sharp gasp of breath as ruby eyes snapped open. The room was dark and foreign, causing adrenaline to shoot through her veins. Controlling herself to not bolt upright, Shizuru recalled yesterday's events. She was not in a basement room, but in a cottage on Kala Mountain. It was not cold, like in her dream, but actually it was rather warm.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Shizuru palmed her clammy forehead. It was just a dream. Casting ruby orbs around the darken cottage, the young musician tried to determine the time. It was dim, but not dark in the little cottage as light streamed in from the over head ceiling window. "Strange," she spoke softly, she didn't recall seeing that there last night. Peering up at the small circular window above, Shizuru noted that the sky was only beginning to brighten as orange and red hues colored the gray sky. It was probably only four, or five o'clock in the morning. Listening carefully, Shizuru could hear in the distance, birds chirping their morning song. The constant rush of the river outside continued to flow, and the wooden water wheel creaked with each rotation. However the second set of soft breathing, reminded Shizuru, that she was not alone in the room. That fact caused her a moment's distress, but she quickly regained herself.

It was the bandit. Not the assailant. However she could be just as dangerous.

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Shizuru stared blankly at the warm quilt blanket that was once on the bed, now covering her. Casting questioning eyes to the other person in the room, the violinist found the shorter girl also sleeping on the floor. The bandit was sleeping by the door, and as far away from Shizuru as possible. The distance was a bit surprising, as the girl had even used her hiking pack as a makeshift barrier, but seemed to have kicked it away sometime during the night. Staring blankly at the skewed pack, with a slender bare leg resting atop, Shizuru was mildly grateful of the distance, yet annoyed at the situation she was forced into. As red eyes focused on the bare leg atop of the hiking pack, the violinist noticed the girl's sleeping bag was open, covering only half of the thief's body.

Taking a quiet moment to openly study the sleeping bandit, Shizuru's eyes roamed the lean form of the girl that lay still before her. No longer covered in dirt and grime, clear porcelain skin seemed to glow in the dim light of the cabin. Long locks of raven hair, that was once restricted in the high pony tail, now pooled around the girl's head like an inky river. Even the expressive face, which was usually set in a frown or a glare, was now relaxed and at ease. It could not be denied, the girl before her was beautiful. It almost took her breath away.

"She looks so innocent, sleeping like that." Covering her mouth with her hand, Shizuru gasped at the whispered words. Shaking her head to dislodge the stray thoughts, as if to make what she had just said any less true, she looked away and glared at the bare wall. Such traitorous thoughts should not be spoken, as she was sure it was due to the bandit's presence that caused her to relive that awful dream. With renewed resolve, russet orbs turned back to glare at the sleeping figure's serene profile.

Glaring had no effect; thus exhaling softly, Shizuru looked away. Deep down she knew it was irrational to be upset at the raven haired girl, but the heart of the matter is, she just couldn't trust the girl. Slowly moving from the bedding on the floor, the dark blond haired woman made her way to the washroom. The movement caused stiff joints to pop, and she groaned at the sickly sound. Sleeping in the floor always left her stiff, but last night it seemed like the best choice, since she wasn't going to take the bed simply because the other girl ordered her to.

By the time Shizuru exited the washroom, she felt refreshed and less annoyed at the girl still sleeping by the door. After picking up the used bedding and returning it to the closet, the violinist began to change her bandages. Sitting on the wooden bed, and absentmindedly massaging her left ankle, red eyes began to wander over to the sleeping bandit once again.

The girl was strange. A bundle of contradiction, and thus far, Shizuru did not know how to go about handling the thief. The girl was obviously weary of her, a weakness Shizuru exploited without regret, as past experiences proved that she could not just blindly trust people. If she only had a way of contacting Reito and the others, or of disarming the cobalt haired girl of the hunting knife, she would feel all the better.

Looking over at the walking stick, Shizuru pondered, she could easily overpower the slightly shorting girl, using the walking stick as a makeshift naginata. However her left ankle might pose a problem if she tried to use some of the various maneuvers to attack, or even defended herself. Looking back to the girl, Shizuru bit her lower lip. The other option would be to sneak out and get as far away as possible. Although she was currently lost, all she had to do was head down, and she would eventually get to the foot of the mountain, and from there get help. There was also the river to consider. She was pretty sure the man from the hotel told her there was only the one river on the mountain. So if she were to just followed the stream, she would eventually get to her original destination. Nevertheless that plan was tossed aside too, as the thief was sleeping right by the door. That left the ceiling window above, but that was even more impossible to reach. A buzzing sound broke Shizuru from her train of thought, as the rhythmic buzzing turned into a high pitched phone chime. Excitement soared through Shizuru, _'a phone!' _she mentally exclaimed.

Silent red eyes watched from her vantage point atop the wooded bed, as the bandit's once peaceful expression shifted into annoyance. Grunting, the female bandit blindly groped for the offending object. Finally locating the cell phone, and opening up the device, the girl asked in a sleep laced voice, "…yeah?"

"Natsuki!" a panicked voice called out; it was loud enough for Shizuru to hear from across the room. Hope rose in the violinist as the prospect of having a working cell phone to call Reito became a reality. Finally, she would be able to ease her friends worry, as they would no doubt be looking for her.

"Erstin? What's wrong?" the bandit asked as she sat up. Rubbing the sleep from emerald eyes, she tried to become more alert. There was another chime from the phone, causing the raven haired girl to pull the phone away from her ear and look at the screen. 'Battery low' flashed on the screen, drawing a low curse from the girl. "Battery's low Erstin. What's up?"

'_Battery Low_' seemed to echo in Shizuru's mind, as each reverberation seemed to chip away at her plan, and instill disappointed, however she didn't let it show. Continuing to sit quietly, she watched the scene unfold from across the room. The voice from the phone continued to grow in panic it seemed, and briefly Shizuru wondered what the crisis was about, but she didn't have to wait long as the girl on the other side continued to speak urgently. "Natsuki, you have to hurry and get off of that mountain! Midori is already on her way to pick you up, she'll be at the pick up area in two hours."

'_Natsuki? Ara…so that is the girl's name, is it?' _Shizuru wondered idly. She had never thought to ask for the bandit's name; as she had never really wanted to know before. However as she watched the emotions play across the pretty girl's face, Shizuru wondered once again, if that was indeed the face of a heartless mountain bandit. She had never met one before, so she didn't have much to compare by, but there was something about this girl that just intrigued the violinist.

"Wait a second Ers," Natsuki said as she started shoving the sleeping bag into a sack. The slim phone was cradled between her ear and still sore shoulder. "What's this about?" Although she sounded more annoyed than anything, Natsuki continued to quickly pack up her things.

"It's all over the news Natsuki! Apparently Elysium is at Kala Mountain too, but last night one of their members went missing. So this morning a search party has been rallied up, and they're going to be headed your way! If they find you Natuski--"

"Where's my sister?!" Natsuki quickly cut off Erstin's growing panic, standing abruptly, she clenched the phone tightly. The low battery warning chimed once again, but it was completely ignored. The thought of her sister missing, even lost of a moment, sent a chill of dread down her spine. Damn the restraining order! If Alyssa was in danger, Natsuki would do anything--everything--possible to find her.

"Don't worry, she's not the one. But Natsuki, you need to hurry! You can't get caugh--" the line went dead before the anxious voice could finish.

Growling at the useless phone, the bandit hurled the device into the wall before her. "Damn it!" the girl snarled as she watched the phone burst apart. Although she was relieved that her sister was fine, she still _needed _to know where Alyssa was to be sure. Even though she could trust her sister's care to Miyu, there were just some things that Natsuki had to be absolutely sure of, and that was Alyssa's safety and well being.

As the phone violently collided into the wall, the erratic action caused Shizuru to gasp, the sound startling the bandit who turned hard viridian towards her. Never before had Shizuru witnessed hate, worry, and determination swirl in those clear emerald pools directed at her; the intensity caused her to unconsciously hold her breath. It seemed her friends have been busy, gathering a search party and all, but why would it cause the bandit, and who ever else she was working with, to panic?

"Who are you?! How did you get in here?!" Natsuki barked as her hand instantly went down to grasp for the hunting knife that was not there.

Gone was the hate and worry, only to be replaced by panic, confusion, and suspicion. _Did she honestly not remember? _Shizuru wondered in awe. However upon seeing the shorter girl's hand twitch at her hip where the knife used to be, caused a frown to mar the brunette's features. "Ara, ara…it seems that bandit-han has forgotten…the situation, no?"

Searching the graceful face before her, Natsuki flinched as she recalled who the woman was before her. _Another_ crazed mountain witch. Narrowing cold green eyes at the deranged woman before her, Natsuki bit the inside of her cheek before stiffly turning away from the woman. She did not want a confrontation. She really did not want to be cursed--once was enough for her--so she did the only thing she could do, and walked away. The mark of her curse itched, but she refused to acknowledge the prickling sensation that marred the mid left of her back. Normally Natsuki wouldn't hesitate on a fight, but she knew better than to openly challenge the sandy haired witch. Perhaps it was those blood red eyes, she wasn't sure, but something about the injured woman just screamed, _'touch me, and I'll kill you.' _Besides, she had more important things to do than get into a fight with a spell caster, and that was to get the hell off of Kala Mountain and find out if Alyssa was indeed alright.

If the search party found her, they would no doubt question her, and if they looked at her records they would see the restraining order her step father had on her. She never understood why her step father hated her so, but he did, so she hated the man back with equal passion. She left her house almost five years ago, and never went back, except once. But that visit ended badly, as she was arrested by the Police Force of Aries on her front door step, and thrown in jail. Although she met Midori at that time, she had no desire to repeat the experience. It was coincidence that Alyssa and herself were on the same mountain, but the police would not see it that way, and would throw her in prison without question. Natsuki couldn't have that, so she couldn't afford to get caught. Especially since she hasn't even actually 'seen' her sister. So it wasn't worth getting caught now. Not yet anyway.

Pulling out a white hoodie and jeans, Natsuki quickly ducked into the washroom to change. Just the thought of Alyssa being on the same mountain filled her with excitement. She wanted to see her now! But if what Erstin had said was true, then the mountain would be crawling with search and rescue teams looking for the missing quartet member, and any suspicious persons to be blamed for kidnapping or whatever. Either way, it would make escaping unnoticed a bit harder, and it would make trying to see Alyssa near impossible. Stepping out of the small room, the cobalt haired woman glared at the injured witch. Leaving the woman would be the best option, as she would only slow her down Natsuki reasoned.

Shizuru watched the younger woman exit the washroom dressed for the day. Ignoring the glare, Shizuru watched the thief stomp over to the door and proceed to take out food, and other supplies from the hiking pack. The air was thick with tension, but it was nothing new to Shizuru, she would never crack under the pressure she reassured herself. The dark haired woman's actions only further proved she was guilty of a crime Shizuru's mind reasoned. However a small part of her was curious as to what crime the bandit had committed as to warrant her current behavior. _'Perhaps murder?' _her mind whispered, and Shizuru shivered at the thought. It could be possible, after all, one never can tell with strangers, and that hunting knife _is _large enough to kill a man. Or woman in Shizuru's case. Mentally shaking her head at her inner musings, Shizuru tried to stay calm. Gripping the walking stick a little tighter, the blond exhaled softly. She didn't know what the bandit would do, so she had to be prepared for anything.

Taking out all the extra days worth of food, and various other things she would not need and could easily replace, Natsuki quickly dropped twenty pounds from her pack. The weight broke even as she arranged the two bags of ore at the bottom of the hiking pack. Turning to look at the broken bits of the cell phone, Natsuki briefly regretted her actions, but she couldn't help it now. She would just have to buy a new one. Nibbling her lip, the bandit's emerald gaze wondered over to the witch on the bed. For a long time, she just stared at the honey haired woman, unsure of what to do.

With the turn of events, she no longer needed to gather more ore, as she had enough for her parts. Originally she was going to gather as much as she could over the weekend to make a profit. The added sum would in turn help bribe a few officials to turn the other way as she infiltrated Aries to see her mother, or if she got caught, it would be bail money. Now though, she had to quickly escape the mountain if she was going to act on her plan to visit her comatose mother. But first, she had to deal with the silent witch. "Do you plan to stay here?" Natsuki asked, honestly curious. If the witch stayed it would be better for her, since they would be able to part without incident. If not, well maybe they could still part without incident.

Shizuru eyed the bandit, the girl seemed honest, but she couldn't allow herself to trust the thief. Instead she spoke calmly. "It was never my attention to do so, no."

"I see," was all the bandit said, as she pulled out a worn map and compass. If the witch had no intention to stay, then perhaps she was heading down to the foot too. The witch's silence and indifferent gaze unnerved her, but she refused to falter. "The foot of this mountain is at least a four hour hike down if you follow the path, or the stream. Following the river would be easiest, but considering your condition, the path is smoother."

Although the thief spoke matter-of-factly, Shizuru still felt put off by her 'condition' as the girl had called it. "Will bandit-han be heading back down to the foot as well?" the witch asked icily. She was curious to know where the blue haired girl was going in such a hurry, and why she was offering up the information. Perhaps it was a trap, and the bandit was directing her to more of her 'friends.' If that was the case, Shizuru would just have to overpower the girl and take the knife. She was already annoyed the girl destroyed the phone, so she could only hope Reito and the others found her quickly.

Ignoring, but annoyed, by the frosty tone, Natsuki pulled out the windbreaker jacket and tossed it atop of the table with the rest of the discarded items. She did not need it since she only had two hours to meet Midori at the pick up point, and she would most likely be running the entire way down. She just had to endure till then. "I'm heading down too, but I'm not talking the path." was her terse reply. There was no sense in letting the witch know where she was going. That way the ruby eyed woman wouldn't be able to hurl a curse at her. She had to think of her safety after all, she still had things to do. She still had to see her mother and Alyssa, so she had to get back to Windbloom City quickly. She couldn't afford to meet Alyssa yet, but if everything worked out right, she'd be able to see her sister next weekend at Elysium's Tour's end concert. With that thought in mind, Natsuki finished packing.

Confident that the witch wouldn't try to curse her back with the hunting blade strapped to her side, Natsuki began lacing up the hiking boots. "I'll be taking a short cut through the woods, that should cut the time in half." she said, peeved at the sandy haired woman's silent stare. It felt like the woman was trying to mentally set her on fire or something. She didn't catch fire, instead it just made Natsuki's curse itch. Standing up, and brushing off the dust from sitting on the dirty floor, Natsuki turned and met russet orbs.

The more she looked into those endless pools, the more she felt herself drifting, and that worried Natsuki more than the silent scrutiny, and the short distance that separated them. Thus far, this woman was nothing like the crazy Shiho Huit, as there was no deranged glint in her eyes, but a clam apathy that continued to observed her. There was no doubt this witch before her, was perhaps far more dangerous than Shiho. Clenching her jaw, Natsuki decided it was better to say nothing, than to experience the excruciating pain of another curse.

Yes, it was the best to get away from this witch as soon as possible.

Picking up the heavy pack, the bandit turned once again to Shizuru. "This is were we part, Mahou-san," the thief spoke and nodded her head briefly before turning and opening up the door. However no sooner had she opened the door, she was knocked down by a pouncing dog! Yelling out in surprise, the bandit used her arms to shield her face from being bitten by the wild animal.

Ruby eyes widened in shock as the stray dog growled and continue to snap at the bandit's arm. Without thought, Shizuru moved in a fluid motion, and used the walking stick to hit the attacking dog squarely on the head. The blow forced the canine out of the small cottage, and gave respite enough for the bandit to drop the hiking pack and stand. However as soon as the one dog was forced out, two other dogs quickly tried to rush in.

Ignoring the throbbing pain, and seeping blood from her left arm, Natsuki quickly unsheathed the long hunting knife and prepared for the next attack. Wild barking and growling echoed in the early morning, as more of the pack rushed to the lone cottage. Soon dozens of wild dogs surrounded the quaint stone house by the river. Never before had Natsuki seen so many wild dogs gather at one time. Gritting her teeth, and gripping the large hunting knife tighter, Natsuki sliced open the throat of a lunging dog. The hot blood splattered across her chest, but she ignored the foul smell as another dog charged at her. Kicking out with her left foot, the mechanic cleared the threshold of the cottage, and knocked aside the charging dog. Now outside, with her back to the stone wall, Natsuki furrowed her brows at the sheer number of rabid dogs running from the woods to the small house. "Tch, I should have brought my guns." she mumbled before stabbing another dog straight into it's open mouth.

Once the bandit had moved out of the door way, Shizuru too, quickly exited the stone house and shut the door behind her. There was no point in being cornered in the house, as it would only restrict her movement in the tiny space, and with the door closed, there was no chance of being taken from behind. Outside she would have more freedom to fully use the makeshift naginata properly, and hopefully survived the onslaught of attacking hounds. Although all the dogs were malnourished and scrawny, the pack in which they gathered was enough to be fearsome. A group of five dogs ran at Shizuru, only to be beaten back and killed by the blunt weapon in the hands of a master. The force of each swing and stroke, sliced through the air and collided with bone and ruptured the skin. Dog after dog, mindlessly attacked, excited by the smell of fresh blood, only to be crushed by each thrust and jab of the bladeless weapon.

Although only armed with a hunting knife, Natsuki expertly deflected and killed every canine that attacked her. No longer burdened by the hiking pack, the cobalt haired girl moved with the ease and experience of living in a harsh environment. Animals attacking her was nothing new, as Aswad's savage lands had honed her skills to survive. Thus using her left arm to turn away snapping jaws, and her right to gouge open throats, Natsuki efficiently and effortlessly disposed of all that attacked her.

Despite their large numbers, the wild dogs were quickly killed. None survived as the bloodlust clouded their mind from retreating, their carcasses littered the ground and stained the soil red. Pulling out the hunting knife from the latest kill, Natsuki exhaled heavily. The smell was putrid as she was covered in blood from head to toe. Turning to look for the mountain witch, green eyes widened in shock. The woman was slowly making her way to the river's edge, not a single drop of blood on her! The walking stick was the only testament of the carnage that occurred, as it was the only thing stained with the animal's life's blood.

Stepping into the cool water, Shizuru sighed in relief as the throbbing pain in her left ankle quelled. The skirmish with the pack of rabid dog left her exhausted. Never had she had to fight off such relentless attackers, but she was grateful of her knowledge to protect herself. Sitting on the wooden planks that supported the water wheel with her legs still in the cool water, Shizuru was surprised to see the bandit strip before her. Although covered in the blood of countless hounds, the bandit proved to be an exceptional survivalist, one that was able to hold her own. Shizuru was impressed, and even more so as she saw in her peripheral vision, the toned body of the young bandit on display.

Removing the blood soaked hoodie and tank top, Natsuki kneeled by the edge of the river to wash off the offending smell of animal blood from her face and body. She didn't care about being only in her jeans and bra, she just had to get the awful smell off of her, and clean her wound. Splashing the cold water on her face and washing her arms, Natsuki cringed as the cold water stung the bite marks on her left arm. The dog that first jumped her, and knocked her down in the cottage, managed to bite through the thick hoodie. "Damn." the wound looked worse than it felt. Luckily there were only several punctures and laceration, and she wasn't missing a big chunk of flesh. Nevertheless she was bleeding profusely now, and she needed to be treated before she becomes infected with rabies. All the more reason to quickly get off of the mountain.

Moving from the bank, Natsuki passed the carcasses and headed into the small cottage to retrieve the first aid kit. Quickly clearing the wooden table of all the cluttered items, Natsuki crumpled on one of the chairs and fumbled with the kit. So caught up in trying to apply pressure to the wound, and open up the first aid kit, she did not notice the witch following her into the small house.

"Let me." Shizuru spoke softly as she watched the cobalt hair girl struggle to tend to her injury. The wound looked deep, but she said nothing as the bandit eyed her sharply. A stiff nod was all she received from the thief, signaling her to go ahead and aid the stubborn bandit. Taking out gauze and antiseptic, the honey haired woman was about to dress the wound, when the girl pulled away.

"That won't do. The lacerations are too deep. It needs to stitched first." Although she spoke calmly, Natsuki could feel herself pale at the thought of having to stitch herself again, but it had to be done, else she'll bleed to death before reaching Midori. Using her belt to apply pressure to her arm, Natsuki took out the bottle of peroxide and poured it over the wounds. Hissing at the sting, she was grateful to see the witch was being helpful as she was offered a threaded and sterilized needle.

Shizuru watched in awe as the bandit stitched herself with practiced ease. The process was no doubt painful, as red eyes watched sweat bead down the pale girl's face and neck, but it was necessary as blood continued to flow from the gaping wounds. The girl before her was definitely not just a pretty face, Shizuru mentally noted. Looking around the small cabin, Shizuru's eyes eventually wandered back to the girl before her. Still clad in only blood splattered jeans, hiking boots, and a damp black sports bra, the girl tried her best to bear though the pain. She was breathing heavy, tears were leaking out from focused jade orbs, and her face was flushed from the effort. The sight caused something to stir within Shizuru, and for reasons unknown, she wanted to help ease the girl's pain.

It was then that crimson eyes noticed the damaged imperfections on the girl's pale skin. There were large burses across the girl's shoulders from when she carried the ore the night before. Also a few faded scares along the bandit's arms and abdomen. However the scar the stood out the most, and looked the newest, was an angry red swirling pattern that started from the girl's back and reached around her left side. Leaning to the side of her chair, Shizuru tried to see where the strange scar started from.

"Hhaa~!" Natsuki sighed heavily as she reached a shaky hand out for the peroxide bottle and poured it over the partially sealed wounds. Twenty seven sutures in total--she would need more, but she couldn't stand to continue--as the lacerations practically wrapped around her forearm, and were deep-set into tissue. Gritting her teeth, and loosing the belt on her upper arm, Natsuki prepared herself for the uncomfortable prickling sensation as blood rushed back into her left arm. Despite her preparations, she still shrank back from the pins and needles sensation. Hunching over in her seat, the mechanic rested her clammy forehead atop the cool wooden table. Stitching herself back up took more effort than fighting back the rabid dogs, and she was drained.

Seeing the girl crumple before her, Shizuru stood, and winched as her ankle throbbed in protest. Nevertheless, she moved to picked up the discarded jacket from the floor. Patting off the dust, the violinist carefully stepped around the panting emerald eyed girl. What she saw caused her to freeze. There, stemming form the bandit's mid left back, was the start of the strange, angry spiral shaped scar. The unusual scar pulsed red, and seemed to grow a tiny bit with each pulse. Tearing her eyes away, Shizuru draped the windbreaker jacket over the hunched girl, disturbed at what she saw.

Gasping at the contact of the cool jacket on her fevered skin, Natsuki's eyes clamped shut. "We need to dress your wound before it gets infection." the witch's soft voice spoke from behind her. It had a calming effect on Natsuki, as she nodded absent mindedly to the soothing voice. The voice was different from the other times the enchantress spoke to her, but fighting back her growing fever, Natsuki didn't care to analyze it. Vaguely aware of the witch's cool hands on her arm, the cobalt haired girl's wounds were dressed quickly and precisely. Once finished, the sandy haired woman stood, and regarded her handy work. Looking up, Natsuki's green eyes searched the spell caster's red orbs, but she saw nothing. She wasn't sure what she expected to see, but for some reason, she felt disappointed. Perhaps she was already going into shock she reasoned.

"Thank you." the bandit said softly as she too stood. Shizuru nodded, but said nothing as she watched the younger girl shrug on the jacket and zip it up. "The other dogs will surely pick up on the smell of blood, and come running. It's not wise to stay here, but if you do, be sure to lock to door and don't come out. A rescue team will be searching this mountain, so they'll eventually find you here." the girl said tiredly as she looked around the small cottage one last time.

'_Of course they'll find me here, I'm the one they're searching for.' _Shizuru though as she watched the bandit turn to leave. The sight caused worry to suddenly bubble up inside of her, and against her rational mind, Shizuru wanted the bandit to stay. It was dangerous out there after all, and the girl lost a lot of blood, so she could easily be attacked by wild dogs again! "Will Bandit-han be leaving, even though she is injured?" Following the younger woman out, ruby eyes watched the girl don the hiking pack once again. "Surely the rescue team could aid you." The pulsing red scar flashed in Shizuru's mind, and she knew without a doubt, that wound was not normal. Perhaps the girl's fear of being curse by a mountain witch was valid after all? The realization made Shizuru feel sick as she had heartlessly exploited the girl's sensitive fear, however it was already done, and now she would never get the chance to make it up.

Securing the straps along her hips and chest, Natsuki gave the witch a crooked half smile. The witch was being insane if she though Natsuki would stay, even though a part of her want to. If only to make sure the honey haired woman wouldn't run into any more wild dogs, but she couldn't. Shaking the lightheadedness a way, emerald eyes swept over the carnage that occurred indifferently. She had already lost a lot of time, and no doubt the search party would be closing in on their location. "They will do more harm to me than help." was all she said as she started walking away from the witch. "Goodbye, Maho-"

"-Shizuru." the violinist cut the bandit off. Pausing, the emerald eyed girl turned to look at the witch, bewildered. "My name is Shizuru." Shizuru repeated as she stepped closer to the girl. At first she had no intention of telling the bandit her name, but after everything, she felt she needed to. The girl had been nothing but kind and accommodating to her--a complete stranger--which was more than she could say for own behavior. Although she already knew the bandit's name, she wanted the girl to tell her. Although they may never meet again, she wanted the girl to know her name; if nothing else.

"Shizuru…" Natsuki tested the name out. It sounded familiar, but she could not place it, so she shrugged it off. "I'm Natsuki." she said as she looked at the mountain witch still standing four feet away. The sun was rising higher, and once again Natsuki was aware of the witch's enchanting eyes. However this time, emerald eyes saw something flicker within those mysterious ruby orbs, but she was unsure of it's meaning. Whatever it was, it was not malicious, and for that, Natsuki sighed in relief. Nodding to Shizuru, she turned to leave. "Goodbye, Shizuru."

"Goodbye, Natsuki." Shizuru said softly as she watched the girl walk away.

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AN: I'm sorry if the scene of Natsuki and Shizuru fighting the pack of wild dogs was not properly described. I'm rather horrible at writing fighting scenes, even though I love the action, it always seems to play out better in my mind. D: Bah! This is where drawing is far more enjoyable than writing out a scene. Anyways thanks for reading! See you next update.

Take care,

-Jyuami


	5. Chapter 5

**The Classical Side of Love**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the series Mai HiME or Mai Otome, Sunrise does.

**AN: **I know Alyssa may seem horribly OoC, but considering she is very attached to Natsuki in Mai HiME/Otome the Manga, I am going off of that. She is just a child, and thus quite self centered and selfish. So I hope I don't put anyone off too much by her character, but she's got a huge sister complex, and fear of being abandoned, if you haven't notice by now. XP

In the Mai HiME anime, Alyssa's precious person was the chairmen of the Searrs Foundation, her supposed father. In Mai Otome Manga, Alyssa is fond and attached to Natsuki her older sister, and chastised her for not visiting home. However in the Manga (for both HiME/Otome), Alyssa always had her mother Saeko to fall back on. There was never any mention of her father.

In TCSofL, Alyssa does not have her mother, since she was often busy working as the President, and thus Natsuki and Miyu took care of her. As for her father, well, she doesn't like him for what he did to Natsuki. So I hope that explains why Alyssa is such a child in this story. Either way, I hope it isn't too far of a stretch. *shrugs*

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**Chapter Five**

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_Elysium's second violinist, Shizuru Fujino, 21, sent friends and police into a frantic search after disappearing Saturday night at Kala Mountain. Luckily Ms. Fujino was found by (manager) Reito Kanzaki, 23, and (head of Elysium's security) Haruka Armitage, 22, early Sunday Morning. The violinist suffered a sprained ankle and superficial lacerations from falling while hiking in the mountains. Ms. Fujino apologized for causing her friends, and Windbloom's Search and Rescue Team, undue worry. "My disappearance was unexpected," Ms. Fujino stated, "but I am so very thankful to the speed in which Kanzaki-han and Armitage-han were able to find me. I am also very thankful to the Windbloom's Search and Rescue Team for their aid with my injuries."_

_When asked if her injures would set back Elysium's closing tour this Saturday, Ms. Fujino simply smiled. "I don't think pushing back a concert date would be fair to the fans. Besides, I look forward to seeing the turn out here in Elysium's home city of Windbloom."_

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Alyssa sighed as she folded the newspaper in half after glancing at the cover story. She had already talked to Shizuru-onee-chan last night, so Monday's morning news was old news to her. Nevertheless it still bothered her that Shizuru-onee-chan was lost and alone for so long. It made the blonde child frown since she could have prevented her group member's injury. Had she and Miyu went out to look for Shizuru-onee-chan when she was first late to their meeting at the dinning hall, maybe all this never would have happened.

Sighing heavily, robin blue eyes looked over at her bed ridden mother. Although conscious, and out of the hospital, Saeko Kruger was still very weak. The little girl stared forlornly at her sleeping mother, who still hasn't spoken a word to her. Even though the doctors had warned Alyssa that her mother's behavior was typical of all awaken comatose patients, she was still disappointed. Her mother would not even met her gaze when conscious, and spoke to no one. Not even her father.

The though of her father caused anger to simmer within the little girl. It seemed that over the past four and a half years since Natsuki-onee-chan had left home, her father worked tirelessly to remove all evidence of Natsuki's existence. First removing her from all public records as his step daughter, to openly stating he only had one daughter: Alyssa. Over the years, Alyssa had grown tolerant of her father's behavior, however upon returning home two nights ago, she had been shocked speechless. All of their family photos that included her elder sister were removed from the house, and all of Natsuki's belongings that she had kept in her room were missing. It seemed the year that Alyssa was away on tour, her father managed to completely changed her home life so drastically, it did not even feel like home anymore. Even the framed picture of herself, Onee-chan, and Miyu, taken on her sixth birthday--the one she kept hidden in Miyu's room--was also missing! Honestly, it was too much, and thus the ten year old also did not speak to her father since the time she arrived home.

"Alyssa-ojou-sama," Miyu spoke softly as she entered the room. The cyan haired woman frowned as she noticed her charge's breakfast tray was left untouched. "You need to eat, Ojou-sama."

"She doesn't recognize me, Miyu. She doesn't speak to me; she doesn't even look at me." Turning sad blue eyes to her best friend, Alyssa griped Miyu's sleeve tightly. "All this time…" she whispered sadly, "…I agreed to work with Elysium to become popular, Miyu. That way, no matter where Onee-chan was, she would never be able to forget me. She would see me everywhere, and always know that I am her sister. So she would know…no matter what…no matter if she did not come home…that I…would always be there for her…" Seeing the tears threaten to leak out, Miyu embraced the little girl, hoping to stem the cry. Stoking silky blond hair, Miyu tried to calm the girl, but Alyssa continued to speak with a shaky voice. "…but…but it's mother that has forgotten me! Miyu…am I such a useless person that I am easily forgotten? Am I…am I really that worthless?"

"Shh, Ojou-sama. Do not say such ridiculous lies. You are not worthless; you are not forgettable." Although the cyan haired woman tried to comfort the child, the little girl refused to cry as she was embraced by Miyu. Allowing her guardian to carry her out, Alyssa clung to the blue haired woman. "I could never forget Alyssa-Ojou-sama, and I know, neither can Natsuki-sama."

"Then why hasn't she come home? It's been almost five years Miyu. Why hasn't Natsuki-Onee-chan come to see me, at least once during that time?" Burying her face at the crook of Miyu's neck, Alyssa continued to mumble all her doubts. "She sends me letters, but those are few and far between. What's the point of being famous when the people precious to me, forget about me?!" Not waiting for an answer, Alyssa tightened her grip around Miyu's neck. "I want to go back to Windbloom." _'I want to be with people that care about me.' _

"Yes, Ojou-sama." Still rubbing soothing patters on the ten year old's back, Miyu walked the familiar path out of the house. They would arrive in Windbloom Kingdom that evening by sand cruiser. There was no need to pack anything. There was no need to say goodbye.

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Natsuki moaned as she furrowed her brows. The light afternoon sun stung her eyes, and she was sore all over. "How are you feeling, Natsuki?" a voice asked from the other side of the wooden partition. Natsuki easily recognized the voice to belong to Youko Helene, her good friend and Aswad's training doctor. The partition was pulled aside, as Youko stepped into view, a tray of steaming soup and tea in hand. Smiling serenely, the tall woman sat on the edge of the bed. "You really had us worried there, Natsuki. You're lucky Midori found you when she did. You lost a lot of blood."

Turning her sore head towards the tall woman, Natsuki spoke in a hoarse voice. "What day is?" Her head throbbed, and it was hard to think. It felt like she fell off the side of a cliff, not to mention her back was itchy as hell, and her left arm was stiff. Shifting her shoulders left and right, she tried to quell the annoying itch, but couldn't seem to get it. Sighing in frustration, she just gave up. She didn't have the energy to move anymore.

Knowing of the younger girl's condition, Youko lifted the tea cup off of the tray. "Drink this." Natsuki made a reluctant face, but nonetheless struggled to sit up. Natsuki would often complain about the taste of the tea, as it was so bitter she hated drinking it. However there was no choice in the matter, as it was the only thing that would cure the curse she had sustained in Aswad. Over time the unusual wound would eventually clear up, and it would be as if it was never there. However the herbal tea had be to ingested three times a day, everyday for it to work. It was a routine Natsuki often forgot to exercise, and thus often suffered the consequences of having the scar-like curse itch like crazy, and grow a tiny bit everyday. "It's Monday afternoon. You were unconscious when Midori arrived, and have been resting here ever since. It's a good thing you managed to stitch yourself up though, otherwise you'd probably be dead by now." Youko said calmly as she set the empty cup back on the tray by the bedside table. "How are you feeling?"

"Ugh…a little dizzy." Natsuki said tiredly. The burgundy haired woman nodded, and help her lay back down, causing Natsuki to exhale deeply. She didn't remember much of what happened yesterday, but damn was she in pain. Surely the dog bite didn't do that to her. Perhaps that red-eyed witch really did curse her, but had they not parted on neutral terms? "I remember running to the pick up point to meet Midori--wait! Where's Alyssa?! Is she okay?!" panic laced her voice, and despite the swirling room, Natsuki tried to sit back up.

Firmly holding Natsuki shoulders, Youko smiled calmly at the girl. "You're sister's fine. She wasn't the one that was lost on the mountain, it was a Ms. Fujino, Elysium's second violinist. Anyways, Alyssa was traveling back to Aries at the time." Seeing the girl's questioning stare, Youko continued in a softer voice. "You mother recently regained consciousness, and Alyssa immediately returned to Aries. But like all recently awaken comatose patients…she doesn't recognize those that were once familiar to her. Your mother's in a sort of…depression, Natsuki; she's shocked and disoriented. She didn't receive your sister well…at least that's what the media said."

"Oh." was all the injured girl said as she allowed herself to be laid back down, the struggle tiring her. The windows were opened in the spacious flat, and the warm summer breeze floated in. For a few moments, only the sounds of the tinkering wind chime filled the void of silence between the two women. The news seemed surreal, and it took a moment for it all to sink in. Natsuki's hands twitched, as she was filled with an urge to see her mother. Yet thinking further about what the blue eyed doctor had said, caused the girl to frown. If her mother was not able to recognize Alyssa, what are the chances of her recognizing Natsuki? Resting tired green eyes, Natsuki exhaled heavily. _'How is Alyssa taking the news?' _she pondered with a heavy heart.

"Where is Alyssa now?" although she spoke calmly, green eyes wandered over to the door of the flat. A soft 'I don't know' was all the answer she received, but she paid it little mind. It has been almost five years since her mother's car accident that left Saeko in a coma, and it was four and a half years since she has seen her little sister. To hear that her mother was finally awake was great news; but to also hear that their mother rejected Alyssa caused a heavy feeling to weigh in Natsuki's mind. "I have to see Alyssa…I need to be there for her." Natsuki spoke plainly, but with determination.

Clucking her tongue, Youko shook her head 'no.' Her patient just woke up, so there was no way she was letting the girl go. Besides the girl was obviously still weak, and a bit too pale to be allowed to even leave the bed. "I have to changer your bandages, then you have to eat, and get some rest. While you are recuperating, think about it for a bit. Do you really think they'll just let you back into Aries? With no transportation and no money? Do you think you can just run to your sister's side regardless of the consequences? You have to think of your safety too, Natsuki, I don't want you to be sent to prison again, do you?" It was harsh, but she had to say these things. After all, for the past four and a half years, she and Midori has been watching over the girl. They were like family, so they looked out for each other. There was no way Youko was about to let Natsuki rush off to see her mother, or her sister, without thinking. Sure it is great news that the girl's mother was out of the coma, but they still had to worry about Natsuki's step father. The man disowned the girl, and made it impossible for her to return to her home country without being thrown into prison. Banished from Aries, and barred from seeing Alyssa, there wasn't much Natsuki could do about her situation.

Moving around to Natsuki's left side, the doctor in training began to unwrap the bandages. Watching the burgundy haired woman work, emerald eyes noticed the quick (but sloppy) stitches she made the other day, were replaced by neat uniformed sutures. She was definitely relieved, since the new sutures were so precisely done there would be little chance of rot and scarring. The thought of a chuck of her flesh falling off because it wasn't stitched properly scared her witless, so it was a great relief that Youko fixed her up.

"No signs of infection or rot so far," the blue eyed woman said matter-of-factly. "Do you feel feverish?" A soft 'no' was spoken, and Youko simply nodded as she applied a layer of antibacterial ointment and began re-applying gauze around the arm. "Have it covered for another day or so, but don't get it wet. …Hmm…can you make a fist for me?"

Curling her fingers, Natsuki grunted as she felt the stitches in the left arm start to stretch and pull. She could not make a tight fist, and so huffed and turned away. It seemed to be just her luck that she couldn't use her left arm. Now disabled, how was she to go back to work? Or see Alyssa? Or even her mother? _'With one arm, what good am I?'_, Natsuki thought morbidly. Exhaling loudly, emerald eyes glared at the bedside table to her right. It was depressing.

"Just as I thought. The lacerations were deep, so I'm not surprised. You'll have to put off working, I'll talk to Midori about that. Try not to use that arm for a while." Standing up, Youko walked around the bed, and helped her patient sit up against the headboard. "Eat and rest up." the doctor said as she pulled out the IV from Natsuki's right arm, and placed a bandage there.

"How long?" her voice was distant, and eyes down cast. Natsuki really couldn't afford to 'rest' for long. She still had so much to do! It was only Monday, but she had a lot to prepare if she wanted to see Alyssa Saturday night at Elysium's concert. Although she knew she could get thrown into prison just by being near her sister, Natsuki didn't care, since it has been so long since she has last seen Alyssa, she was willing to take that risk.

"Two weeks for the stitches to come out. A month after that till your arm is completely healed." Seeing the girl's shocked expression, Youko shrugged, there wasn't much she could do about it. Besides it wasn't as if Natsuki had never had stitches before. "But you know it depends on how well you take care of it too, Natsuki. You reopen those sutures, and it will take twice as long to heal. The same goes if you get it infected. You know the drill, it's nothing new. But since you're having trouble forming a fist now, don't use your left hand as much as possible, and wait till the tissue can repair itself, okay?"

Inclining her head down, Natsuki ignored the soup placed before her, and stared at her distorted reflection on the spoon's polished surface. She didn't hear Youko leave her side, but she didn't really care either. It would take a month and a half until she was fully healed. Six weeks. That was forty-two days. _'Damn it all.'_

--

--

It was Tuesday mid morning when Shizuru's apartment door opened with a flourish. Sitting on her comfy tanned-color couch, the apartment owner was reading a book and paid no mind to the red head who entered. "Welcome back Nao." Shizuru's cheery voice called to the shorter girl by the entry, her ruby eyes never leaving the page. With her left foot propped up on a few pillows, the honey haired woman finally looked over the book to the younger girl, as the door slammed shut.

Dropping the two shopping bags on the kitchen counter, Nao huffed as she opened the refrigerator. "It's unbearably hot outside!" she complained as she grabbed a chilled cola and the pitcher of iced tea. Grabbing a cup and filling it with the amber liquid, Nao simply stuffed the two bags of groceries into the refrigerator, and made her way over to the ruby eyed woman. "Here." Nao said as she popped open her cola.

"Thank you, Nao-chin." Smiling and taking a sip of the chilled beverage, Shizuru placed her book on the coffee table.

Sitting at the edge of the couch, the younger girl tried not to jolt the healing ankle. "It's pretty crazy out there; the paparazzi are practically camping outside as it is." Reaching for the remote, Nao turned the plasma T.V. on with a board expression. The news was playing, but she began surfing the channels, as lime green eyes stared ahead without really seeing. Long moments passed between them in silence, until Nao spoke with an easy drawl, "You never told me the full story, you know."

Looking at the younger's bored profile, Shizuru said nothing, and turned her head to look at the T.V. set across the room again. Taking a long sip of iced tea, red eyes watched the contestants run from one end of an obstacle course to the other on the screen. True she hasn't told her friend the whole story, but then again, she hasn't told anyone. Sunday, Reito and Haruka found her at the cottage half an hour after the bandit, Natsuki, left. The sight they saw was mortifying, so it was decided that the circumstances in which they found Shizuru in, not be mentioned to the public. It was for the benefit of Elysium. The public did not need to know that Shizuru survived an onslaught of attacking wilding dogs, and killed all the vile creatures, now did they? It would be bad publicity, as Reito had called it. Thus it was advised that Shizuru not tell anyone, as neither Haruka, nor Reito would mention it either.

"It's rather interesting, isn't it?" Nao drawled as she inspected her nails, causing russet eyes to refocus back on her. "You left the resort dressed in the same outfit as the others, but when they find you, you've changed your clothes. Pretty boy won't say anything about it, but I doubt you can find spare clothing up on a mountain." Turning her indifferent gaze from flawless nails to Shizuru, Nao regarded her long time friend with an emotionless stare.

Of course Nao would notice something that insignificant, Shizuru mused, as she returned the indifferent gaze. The red head's attention to details was amazing, and it was part of the reason they were such good friends. Not many could read the subtle emotions Shizuru possessed. Nao was one of the few, and that was why they were such good, and long time friends. "I suppose it was a little odd, no?" the blonde replied with a slight smile. She might as well tell Nao, if no one else. The younger girl would only worry more if Shizuru kept it from her anyways. "I met someone on Kala mountain. She gave me the change of clothes." Shizuru spoke airily.

Slowly turning to gaze back at the T.V, Nao inclined her head slightly for Shizuru to continue. They were second cousins, and although they were three years apart, they were closer than sisters and the best of friends. So when Yukino called Saturday night to tell her Shizuru was missing, the news sent dread down Nao's spine. Two years ago, when Elysium was just starting out, Shizuru was taken hostage for ten days, and no one knew where she was. It was like living in hell for Nao and the others during that time. Thus it was with great relief that her cousin was found and rescued so quickly this time. However there were a few things that did not make sense in the news reports--in fact, those were just so vague it was suspicious. Sure the media bought the idea that Shizuru went hiking to the well spring alone, lost her way, and miraculously found an abandoned cottage to stay the night, but Nao knew there _had_ to be more to the story. Things were never as simple as Shizuru made them seem.

Knowing her cousin was waiting for her to continue, Shizuru contemplated the best way to tell Nao. She supposed telling the truth would be the best…but for some reason she did not feel comfortable with telling the redhead _every _that transpired on Kala Mountain. So the barest, most simplest of facts will have to do. Taking another sip of tea, Shizuru closed her eyes briefly. "What I told the press was true. When we parted ways, and I was free to do as I pleased, I decided to go for a stroll around the resort. Eventually I decided to head to the Well Spring that Anh and Chie went off to, but I lost my way. As I tried to return to the resort, I tripped and slipped down the hill side, which is how I managed to do that." waving her hand towards her propped up leg, Shizuru smiled lightly. There was no need to cause undue worry, so there was no need to mention the wild dog that had attacked her.

Nao had turned to face her as she spoke, so Shizuru merely shrugged, as the younger girl raised a slender eye brow. "So you're telling me you just fell, and met this person that gave you a new set of clothes. How utterly convenient! Did this person also allow you to stay at that cottage they found you at?"

Unfazed by Nao's sarcastic tone, Shizuru smiled for the girl's benefit. "Yes, that's pretty much what happened."

"Did this person hurt you or anything?" Nao asked with a tick in her brow. Although she was used to her cousin's casual mannerism, it never failed to really frustrate her. She knew the honey haired woman was not being forthcoming with all the information, but lime green eyes could tell by the curve of Shizuru's pink lips, that that was all the information she was getting. Exhaling a puff of air, Nao decided it was best to just give up. The ruby eyed woman could be incredibly stubborn, unbearably mysterious, and intolerably silent when she wanted to be, so it was best to just accept what Shizuru told her and save herself the grief. Besides after the hostage incident two years ago, Shizuru has been more vigilant in her own safety, so Nao actually felt sorry for whomever tried to hurt her cousin, as they would surely regret attempting to hurt Shizuru.

Noticing the olive eyed girl's hand loosen around the remote, and sigh in acceptance, Shizuru mentally smiled in relief. Shaking her head softly, Shizuru spoke in wonder and amusement to lighten the mood. "No, she didn't. I think she was more afraid of me, than I of her."

When Nao turned back to face her, a mischievous grin was plastered on her face. The crooked smile quelled any tension that was left, and Shizuru was grateful for it. "Well, you are scary when angry, Zuzu-chan."

"'Zuzu-chan'?" Shizuru asked with a chuckle, "Ara, you haven't called me that since you were a child, and couldn't say 'Shizuru' correctly." Seeing Nao's embarrassed blush caused Shizuru to giggle softly. She honestly hasn't been called that name in years, and to hear it now, reminded her of bygone days.

"Anyways, who was this person, and what did she look like?" giving an annoyed huff, Nao forcefully jabbed the 'up' arrow to change the channel, and hopefully, the subject. Although she tried to play it off, a light blush continued to linger, and she prayed Shizuru wouldn't continue to tease her.

Knowing of her friend's over protectiveness towards her, Shizuru humored the girl. However she was getting tired of having to tell everyone she was alright. "I'm not sure who the girl was, she was just…hiking when she found me. As for what she looked like…well, I suppose she's a little taller than yourself, Nao-chin. Long dark hair, and green eyes." Taking another sip of iced tea, Shizuru watched for Nao's reaction. She didn't want to reveal too much about the female bandit, for some reason, she didn't want the girl to get into trouble. She felt she owed it to the kind bandit.

"Did you at least get her name?" Nao asked as she furrowed her brows. She did not like the way Shizuru was still being vague about the details, especially since she was known for her meticulous eye. If anything, it just made the redhead more annoyed at her older cousin.

"Does knowing the name of a person I will never meet again, really matter?" Shizuru asked lightly. Chances of them meeting again were slim, so she tried to tell herself it did not matter. It really didn't.

"Depends, I suppose." Never turning away from the television screen, Nao watched Shizuru from the corner of her eye. "Do you want to meet her again?" Only at the question did ruby eyes look her way, and for a moment Nao saw something flicker within those deep ruby pools. Unfortunately for Nao, Shizuru turned away before she could analyze it.

"…" Looking briefly at Nao's stoic profile, Shizuru turned her gaze to the window. The apartment was on the fourteenth floor, and offered a view of another high rise of apartments. There was not much of a view in the heart of Fuuka, Windbloom Kingdom's capital. It offered nothing to distract her thoughts, not like her home town of Kyoto in Zipang, or the scenic evergreens of Kala Mountain. "No." Shizuru answered softly. _'I probably never will.'_

_--_

_--_

Wednesday morning came, and Natsuki was up early. It was her first day back at her own little apartment, but she didn't care about the cramped space, or the mess she left it in, she was excited to finally be back on her own! For the past few days she was practically strapped to the guest bed in Midori and Youko's flat. The doctor in training kept her over to be sure she was in the clear of rabies and other infections, which was good, but annoying at the same time. Not even her own mother was as demanding or strict as the tall blue eyed woman. She had stitches, not a broken spine, so Natsuki really didn't see why she had to spend the three days in bed like Youko had ordered.

Tossing her keys on the small kitchen table, Natsuki dropped her hiking pack by the worn sofa. It was heavier than she remembered, but that was probably due to her imbalance with her left arm in a sling. Looking down at the dark blue sling, Natsuki sighed. Sometimes Youko tended to go overboard with her medical advice.

Placing the discarded sling on the back of the sofa, Natsuki headed to the small kitchenette. Opening up the mini fridge, she sighed as there was nothing to eat but a few slices of bread and a bottle of mayo. Well that would have to due till she could go shopping. Passing a poster of Alyssa, it was a bonus item from Elysium's _Shine _CD, Natsuki headed to the small stereo she kept in the apartment, and pressed the 'play' button. Soon the melody of _Winter Sun _began to fill the silent apartment, and Natsuki smiled softly at the tune.

Eating and unpacking, Natsuki walked around the small one room apartment with a mayo sandwich in her left hand. In the back of her mind she regretted leaving all the extra food, and clothes, and stuff, at the cottage on Kala Mountain, but she wasn't about to go back to get them. Now she was just left with three pairs of jeans, five tank tops, one light denim jacket, one black hoodie, and six pairs of socks. That was the entire wardrobe she possessed, and it was a pitiful sight. "Tch, having to go shopping for clothes too." she mumbled as she tossed the dirty clothes in a pile. She'll have to go to the laundry mat soon if she wanted anything clean to wear tomorrow.

Picking up the bags of ore, Natsuki placed them in a large backpack. She would have to give them to Dyne, her co-worker at Aswad Motors, so he could have them purged into the metal she needed. Turning off the stereo, and pocketing the keys, as well as the mine keys Nina had let her borrow, Natsuki slipped on her regular shoes and headed back out. She first had to meet up with Dyne, and Aswad Motors should be open by now.

--

--

By the time Natsuki arrived at Aswad Motors it was noon, and she was exhausted. "Dyne!" she called out to the empty garage. Dropping the twenty pound backpack by the locker room door, Natsuki rotated stiff shoulders. It was so hot outside, and it was only May! Shrugging off the light denim jacket, and leaving it atop the backpack, Natsuki walked around the empty garage. There was only two cars being serviced it seemed. One was a black jeep, and the other was a beautiful silver convertible. Heading to the office, and opening the door, Natsuki found two of her co-workers in a compromising position. With a bright blush, she quickly slammed the door shut.

Hurried movements were heard on the other side of the office door, and soon a tall muscular man stepped out. His dark brown hair was ruffled and his hazel eyes met Natsuki's embarrassed green ones. "Sorry Natsuki, we didn't hear you come in." Rad said with an easy smile.

"Most people knock though." Lumen said teasingly as she stepped around Rad, zipping up the front of her jumpsuit. Lumen's lavender hair was pulled back into a low tie, and her playful blue eyes sparkled with amusement. "But what brings you here, kid? I thought the boss said you would be out for two to three weeks."

Pushing down her blush, Natsuki huffed at being called a kid, and answered in a haughty manner. "Boss Midori only said I'd be out that long, cuz Youko said I need that much time for the stitches to heal. Besides, I'm looking for Dyne. Have you seen him?"

"Dyne's gone to get lunch, but he should be back pretty soon." Lumen said easily as she watched her man walk away. Refocusing clear blue eyes back on the shorter girl before her, she smiled. "Did you bring him the ore? The boss told us what happened." Shaking her head, the tall woman smiled softly. "Funny, I always figured you to be a dog person, I just didn't think that included rabid ones too. So come on, tell me. How many stitches have you got this time?"

Rolling emerald eyes at Lumen's playful banter, Natsuki went to retrieve the backpack with ore and handed it to the taller woman. "Too many if you ask me. Youko wanted me to use a sling, but you know her."

"So are you able to work?" Rad asked as he opened the hood of the silver convertible.

"I should be able to once the stitches come out. Youko won't let the boss take me back till then. That'll be in another ten days or so." Natsuki said as she straddled one of the rolling chairs. "I don't know what I'm gonna do till then though, I'll be bored outta my mind."

Rolling over on another chair, Luman bumped shoulders with Natsuki. She had on a coy grin that did not sit right with the cobalt haired mechanic. "You could always hang out here. You know, be our little gofer again. I know sometime when I'm working, I just need a cutie to pass me the wrench, y'know?"

Pushing Luman away with her good arm, Natsuki huffed in annoyance. "Isn't that why you work with Rad?" Really, every time she sees Lumen with that stupid grin, she just knows the taller woman is going to say, or do something stupid. Which would usually lead to one, or both, of them getting hurt or doing something equally inept. Scowling to herself, Natsuki realized that most of her recent scars and injures she had sustained over her time in Aswad, was due solely because of Lumen.

Chuckling as her chair rolled away, Lumen gave the younger girl a sly wink. "But you're so my type Natsuki! I just love the classic beauties like you, long hair, large eyes, slim figure, and totally kissable lips!"

"Shut up and marry Rad already, you idiot!" Natsuki shouted as she palmed her face, trying to hid the light blush. She tried to ignore the annoying kissing sounds from the other woman, but it only aggravated her more. How can Lumen say stuff like that?! It was so freakin' embarrassing!

"Who's goinna to marry Rad?" Dyne's booming voice asked as the large man entered the garage. He was carrying four bags of takeout food, and balancing a tray of drinks. "Hey kid, you're just in time for lunch!" Smiling broadly, the blonde man lumbered over, his brown eyes sparkling.

Dyne's easy smile was contagious, and grinning back, Natsuki used her leg to hook a free chair and kicked it over to the big man. Embarrassment forgotten, Natsuki rolled her chair over to make room. "So what's for lunch today? Smells good."

"Zipang food," the big man said as he stopped the rolling chair with his foot. "There's a shop two miles from here called Little Kyoto; they're pretty good." Dyne said as he placed the bags and tray on the table. Looking over at the youngest member of their team, brown eyes caught sight of Natsuki's bandaged arm, and he frowned. "How bad is it?" thrusting his chin out, as if pointing with it, Dyne sat down, and passed her one of his two cups of cola.

Looking down at the bandaged arm, then back up to meet concerned dark brown eyes, Natsuki gave a crooked smile. "It's not too bad. Ten days till the stitches can come out, then four weeks for it to completely heal. That's if I don't tear it, or it gets infected." Shrugging, Natsuki propped her elbows on the table. "The first few days I couldn't even close my hand, I still can't, but it's getting better."

"That's good." Rad said as he pulled up a chair at the table. Taking the offered box of food, he began to dig in. "It's only been two days since you've been out, and we're already getting swamped."

"Don't mind Rad, Natsuki dear, he likes to over exaggerate." Lumen said with a smirk as she tore the lid off her styrofoam lunch box and began filling it with food. Dyne and Rad also added a portion of their food to share with the girl they considered their little sister. "It's true we were busy yesterday, but we were able to get everything done on time." Ignoring Rad's grunt, the lavender haired woman offered the food to Natsuki.

"Thanks." Natsuki said as she took the food from Lumen, and a sip from Dyne's second cup of cola he had given her. The four of them had been working together for years, so they were practically like family, with Midori and Youko as the parental figures. Rad was like the oldest brother, he looked out for everyone and took care of everything. Then there was Dyne, the easy going brother, that Natsuki could always talk to and rely on. Next was Lumen, who always seems to annoy Natsuki with her playful nature, but was more like the older sister Natsuki never had. Together the two would always get into a lot of trouble back at the village, playing pranks, and exploring the wilderness. However when they first met four and a half years ago, Lumen was a young man, and over the years, he has changed into a beautiful young woman. Casting a sidelong glance at the lavender haired woman, Natsuki smirked, Lumen was a far better looking woman than she was as a man.

"You look sexy today too hon," Lumen said as she continued to eat her meal. Natsuki blushed at being caught, but chose not to say anything, and instead chomped on a piece of teriyaki chicken viciously. The sight was amusing to Dyne and Rad, who shared knowing looks, and continued to eat. It was another average day at Aswad Motors it seemed.

"Oh!" Dyne said as he finished with his first lunch box and reached for the second one. "Natsuki, I've been meaning to ask, but is your sister _the _Alyssa Kruger that sings for Elysium?"

Raising a brow, Natsuki paused with her chopsticks mid way to her mouth, the piece of chicken hovered in mid air as Rad and Lumen also turned to look at their fellow co-worker. "Why do you ask?" Natsuki countered as she chewed the piece of teriyaki chicken slowly.

"I was just wondering since there are banners all over the city, advertising Elysium's homecoming concert this weekend." Taking a sip of cola, green eyes never left Dyne's calm brown orbs. "I still recall the picture you showed me a few years ago, and your little sister looks kind of like Elysium's singer. I was just wondering since they have the same first name and all."

"I didn't know you were into that kind of music," Natsuki spoke nonchalantly, "but yeah, she's my sister." The other three at the table wore looks of shock and unbelief, but Natsuki expected as much. After all, they only knew her as 'Natsuki,' since she never told anyone her old last name, well except Youko and Midori that is. The last thing she wanted was to be associated with that bastard of a step father. These days, she goes by Natsuki Kuga, since it was her mother's maiden name.

When she left home that night so many years ago, Natsuki Kruger practically disappeared over night. There was no trace of her in any of the Republic of Aries' records, school records, bank accounts, everything, was wiped out. It was as if she never existed, and she supposed, that was how her step father wanted it. So when she returned one week after walking out to visit Alyssa, she was more than surprised to find herself arrested on her front door step, and thrown in prison because of a restraining order and illegally entering the country. She has been banned from Aries ever since, and did not return. Not yet anyways.

Whistling lowly, Lumen grinned. "Wow, that's pretty amazing. I always knew you were cute, but your sister is just adorable!" Dodging the flying chopsticks aimed at her head, the blue eyed woman scooted closer to Rad on her left. "But still, she's pretty amazing to be a professional singer and all. How old is she? Eight? She's looks really young and doll-like, I just want to hug her!"

"Shut up!" Natsuki grunted as she watched Lumen hug herself and squeal like a school girl. It was seriously disturbing hearing the transvestite want to hug her little sister, and it caused a fit of protectiveness to emerge from the normally casual girl. "That's my little sister you're talking about! She's only ten, so don't say such weird things!"

"Now, now Natsuki, there's no need to get mad. Lumen was only playing, you know her." Rad spoke calmly as he drank the last of his cola. It seemed to him he always had to stop the two before one of them got their feelings hurt. Sighing to himself, golden eyes watched the two women turn away from the other with arms folded. "So Natsuki," he tried to change the subject for peace's sake, "will you be seeing your sister this weekend?"

Perking up at the question, Natsuki smiled nervously. "I plan to. But I don't know if I can with this." Raising her left arm that was wrapped from palm to elbow, she shrugged. "I wanted to sneak in and surprise her, since I haven't seen her in so long. But now…"

Seeing the girl's smile drop, Rad leaned forward, trying to reassure her. "What did you have in mind?"

Natsuki absent mindedly flicked the empty styrofoam lid as she stared at the red linoleum table top. "I was thinking I'd sneak in, and wait till after the show to see Alyssa. Her birthday was a month ago, so I wanted to give her a proper birthday gift you know?" Looking up at Rad, she noticed all eyes were on her, and embarrassed at her simple plan, she looked back down.

"That's a sweet idea." Dyne said as he placed his elbows on the table too. The added weight caused the table to shift a bit, and a soft creek emitted from the strain. "At what time were you planning to sneak in?"

Looking up at the older man, Natsuki gave a lopsided grin. "I…ah…haven't thought that part through yet, but I definitely wanted to get there before the concert ended."

"I don't mean to burst your bubble, kid," Lumen said softly, "but with recent events, I'm pretty sure Elysium will up it's security." The recent event being Elysium's missing member. It was all over the news, and knowing that Natsuki liked that group, Lumen made sure she was updated on the band. However as blue eyes continued to watch the girl next to her, she couldn't help the smirk that was forming. The though of sneaking into the concert hall was exciting!

"That's true." Rad said as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. Natsuki only grunted, she figured as much anyways. If she wasn't injured, she could sneak in easily, but with her left hand unable to even grip a cup of water, she was useless. "Unless you had a distraction of some sort," Ran mused aloud, rubbing his chin in thought. "That would definitely pull the security away, and give you an opening to sneak in." Nodding his head in satisfaction, Rad grinned a handsome smile. Although he knew it was unlawful to cause a disturbance at a public event, and usually he was against such thoughtless acts. However this was important to Natsuki, and he wanted to help her. "Besides, I hear Windbloom's Concert Hall is a must see for anyone new to this great city."

A sly grin blossomed on each of their faces as the four locked eyes with the other. "Why Rad," Lumen said as she hugged his arm with a playful grin, "I hear all the concert tickets were sold out months ago." Trying to contain her joy, Lumen could already feel herself quiver with excitement. "It's going to be so much fun, I can't wait to see Elysium up close and personal!"

"I don't think you need a ticket to see the concert hall, so it should be no trouble." Dyne said with a toothy grin. "However I'm sure they will have security everywhere, but that could easily be avoided. I think if we let Professor Gal in on this, she may know how to bypass the security and cameras."

"You guys are crazy." Natsuki said with a shake of her head, and a big grin. This was incredible! At first she did not think they would help, well Lumen might have, but she didn't think Rad would be the one to propose the idea! It was overwhelming, and the crazy part of it was, it just might work.

"Well Elysium _is _all the rage right now," Lumen said as she twirled a lock of hair around her slim fingers. "It would be a shame if we never attended one of their concerts since we're here. Besides, I would love to see Alyssa-chan too!"

Rolling emerald eyes, Natsuki chuckled as she stood from the table. "Thanks guys. But it's only Wednesday. I'll see if there is a better way to get in, but if not, I might take you up on the offer."

"No problem, I wouldn't worry too much about it Natsuki. We're your family, we'll always look out for you. So just let us know, and we'll be there for you, kid." Rad said as he waved her off.

Heading out the door, Natsuki could only smile as she heard her friends call out to tell her to get autographs for them, and visit the garage soon. Really, what would she do without them?

--

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**AN: **To all My Musume readers!

I am horribly sorry, but upon re-reading MM I realized what a horrible writer I am! Seriously. It is like all my thoughts and ideas were not properly conveyed, and I left out lots of scenes that should have been in there. I am so appalled by it, that I can't seem to get myself to continue writing it. So I've actually been re-writing it and adding quite a few scenes here and there. The most noticeable change will be a few memory scenes at the beginning of each chapter. It will be from the POV of different characters, and it will actually help the story line. Because you see, I know everything that is supposed to happen, but I'm just horrible at letting the reader know that too. XP

So anyways MM is under a major revamp, but when I get all the chapters refurbished, I'll upload them all at once to make up for it. So I hope you will understand. Thanks in advance!!

-Jyuami


	6. Chapter 6

**The Classical Side of Love**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the series Mai HiME or Mai Otome, Sunrise does.

**Author's ramble: **Hey folks…sorry about the late update…but you see, I've been rather sick lately. I've the flu, thankfully just the regular flu, but I've been bedridden for a few days now. I blame my work, since with ever one scared wit-less about the H1N1 going around, my job had made it mandatory to get the flu shot. So although I protested against getting the vaccine, I still had to get it. And now I'm sick. I just don't understand why anyone would believe that getting the vaccination would help one. I mean it's inoculation in the flawed sense that: hey lets get you immune to something by giving you the pathogens of that virus! That's just like saying: 'hey lets get you immune to breathing by suffocating you little by little!' Gah! I'm sorry, I hate being sick, especially since I always am.

Anyways for the real note: thanks to all the reviews and stuff, and the anonymous reviews too! I'm sorry Loveless I forgot to address your review from last chapter. Once I uploaded the chapter, I did not know how to fix it, so I'll reply to you here.

**Loveless: **I'm really sorry I did not reply to you last chapter, but thank you! Actually Natsuki's break in will be in the next chapter! I promise! I hope it will be good though, I had to set everything up so Natsuki, Shizuru, and Alyssa meet all at once. Lol Anyways, I hope you look forward to it too. :D

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**Chapter Six**

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Across the city, Elysium's group was stuck in the middle of traffic Wednesday afternoon. There was road construction, and so waiting in the air conditioned limo, the group members sat patiently for the vehicle to slowly craw to their destination. They were already one hour late to the practice studio; but it couldn't be helped. Thus Reito was left to tirelessly talk on the phone, arranging, and rearranging appointments due to this unforeseen set back.

Anh was engrossed in her mp3 player, and with eyes closed, she was shut off from the world around her. Bobbing her head in tune with the music, the first violinist didn't have a care it seemed. Sitting next to Anh was Yukino, who leaned her head against Haruka. Haruka was sitting by the door, and continued to glare out the window. The mustard blonde haired woman was pissed at being late to their appointment, and she was annoyed at being stuck in traffic. Thus violet eyes glared at all the people passing by their limo on the sidewalk, seething in anger and jealousy. _'Damn it, they're moving faster than the damn car!' _Haruka hissed in her mind. She knew if she spoke her thoughts out loud, she would only be chided by her girlfriend again. But damn it all, they haven't even moved a block yet, and it has been twenty minutes already!

Ignoring the busty blonde's huff, Shizuru kept her red gaze out the window across from her long time friend. Honestly, she did not really care that they were stuck in traffic, like most in the car, she was unfazed. Looking back to those around her, Shizuru noticed that Miyu and Alyssa were also undisturbed by the turn of events. She could understand Miyu not being effected, since if a matter did not involve the little girl, then Miyu didn't care. At all.

Alyssa however was somber, and has been ever since returning to Windbloom Kingdom Monday night. There were lots of tabloids pestering the Golden Angel; stories about a broken home, and being rejected by her own mother. Most were rumors, but some of it was true since the little girl had mentioned her mother's unwillingness to acknowledge her. It was heartbreaking for Shizuru, and the rest of Elysium, but all they could do was give their support and love to the girl. It seemed to be enough, but not what Alyssa wanted. Nevertheless the ten year old never said anything negative, and accepted the concern and attention her friends lavished on her with a soft smile.

Alyssa sat close to the door with Miyu by her side. Chie and Shizuru sat opposite them, with Reito on the other side of Anh sitting on the back seat by the door. Feeling the black limo crawl forward a few feet then stop, then repeat the process, was utterly monotonous. There was absolutely nothing to look at, and nothing to do. So turning around and kneeling on the leather seats, Alyssa propped her elbows on the back of the bench and stared out the window.

Looking out to the busy city street, blue eyes watched the people walk by. They all seemed to be moving quickly, heading to whatever destination they were going without pause. Gazing up Alyssa saw banners and billboards, all advertising Elysium's end of tour concert in a few days. It was odd to see herself on all those ads; but that was the point wasn't it? _To be everywhere._ Sighing to herself, Alyssa rested her chin on the back of the leather chair. She missed Natsuki-Onee-chan. Looking back down to the crowd that walked by the limo on the sidewalk, she wished her sister was there with her, she would know what to do. "Onee-chan would make everything right…" she whispered to herself.

Then as if from a dream, blue eyes caught a glimpse of a figure with familiar cobalt hair. Bolting upright, Alyssa gasped in surprise as she tried to keep the figure in sight. "Miyu! It's Onee-chan!" Alyssa said breathlessly as she lunged for the door. Quickly climbing over a surprised Reito, and jumping out, the ten year old paid no mind to the startled yelps of the people on the sidewalks or the concerned calls of the friends she left behind. She only had one thing in mind, and that was to catch her dear sister. "Onee-chan! Wait for me! Onee-chan, wait!!"

Luckily that figure, with the familiar hair, stopped at the corner of the street, waiting for the signal to turn green so she could cross. Running as fast as her little legs would carry her, Alyssa caught up to the taller, cobalt haired girl, and hugged her from behind. "Onee-chan!"

"Eh?!" The woman shrieked as she turned to face the ten year old. Shocked, Alyssa stepped back quickly. The person before her was not her sister. The surprise and confusion was clearly displayed across the woman's face as she looked at the small child. "Who are you?" The woman asked in a shrill voice.

It was nothing like Natsuki-Onee-chan's soft, and loving voice. The woman's blue eyes were also pale in comparison to her sister's vivid emerald orbs. The lady before her had the same color of hair, but upon closer inspection, it was a shade lighter than her sister's. Even the facial structure was completely off. Natsuki-Onee-chan did not have a square jaw, neither did she have narrow eyes. Backpedaling a few more steps, Alyssa flushed at her mistake. Bowing deeply, golden locks hid her frustration and embarrassment. "I'm so sorry! I mistook you for someone else."

"Ah…it's alright, but where are your parents, little girl?" the lady said as she kneeled down to Alyssa's level. The child was adorable, and most likely lost and confused, the woman thought.

Meeting the lady's blue eyes with her own glaring ones, Alyssa frowned at the stranger. She was annoyed that the lady before her, not only dared to look like her sister, she was now treating her like a brainless child too! "That's none of you--"

"Ojou-sama!" Miyu arrived instantly at her side. Sensing the girl's hostile mood, the cyan haired woman instantly scooped the singer up. "Are you alright? Did this person harm you?" Narrowing red orbs at the strange woman, Miyu regarded the lady harshly. If the stranger had so much as touched her little Angel, then Miyu would show no mercy. Were it not for Reito being in the way, blocking the door in the limo, then she would have caught up to Alyssa much sooner. Had anything happened to Alyssa during that moment's holdup, Miyu would never forgive herself, or Reito for that matter. So it was with relief that the cyan haired woman found the ten year old when she did, but she was still annoyed that she was even a little bit delayed.

Seeing the cold glare from the woman dressed as a maid, the stranger stepped back. "Ah, it was just a misunderstanding. Excuse me," the lady said quickly as to get away from the intimidating figure.

Watching the blue haired woman walk briskly across the street, Miyu furrowed her brows. _That_ was the cause of her Angel's abrupt flight? Frowning, Miyu wordlessly took Alyssa back to the waiting limo. She knew her charge was feeling frustrated, but there was nothing she could do. Alyssa's safety would always come first, but the child's happiness was another matter.

During the rest of the long ride to the studio, Alyssa spoke to no one, not even Miyu.

Sighing softly, Miyu stayed silent; she knew how much Alyssa missed her sister, yet she could do nothing. She was given one order--a request really--but it was that determined plea, that kept the pale maid from reuniting the sisters at once. Because although Miyu possessed the ability and power to bring Natsuki-sama to Alyssa-ojou-sama, and vice versa, she could not go against Saeko Kruger's will. _'No matter what, please, stay by Alyssa-chan's side.' _Although the plea was given years ago, when Natsuki first attended school, and Alyssa was left at home because she was too young, Miyu still honored the request of her master. To this day, Miyu has never left her Angel's side, and she knew without a doubt, she would never leave Alyssa in the future either.

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After leaving Aswad Motors, that Wednesday afternoon, Natsuki made her way to HiME Instruments. Entering the large music store, Natsuki smiled as a gust of cool air welcomed her. Heading straight to the piano and organ section of the store, green eyes quickly scanned for her good friend, Erstin Ho. The girl reminded her of Alyssa, and although that was the original reason Natsuki befriended the girl, she came to really care for Erstin as a good friend over the years.

Seeing Erstin polishing one of the many pianos, Natsuki called out to the girl. "Busy as always I see." It was just like the blond girl to be hard at work. Erstin Ho was apart of a nomadic group that settled in Aswad Village two years before Natsuki moved there. Three years Natsuki's junior, Erstin was a cheerful person, although a little shy. The blond had moved to Windbloom Kingdom six months ago with their mutual friend, Arika Yumemiya, who decided to move closer to her mother, Rena.

Hearing the voice of her good friend, Erstin turned, and with a smile, she greeted Natsuki. "Hey, how are you feeling?" It had been two days since she last saw Natsuki, and she was a bit worried. The older girl always tended to make light of her situation, often joking that it was a mere 'flesh wound' when it could be life threatening. The bizarre red curse would always spring up to mind, and cause Erstin to worry. From what Youko and Professor Gal had diagnosed, if Natsuki did not properly treat the strange infection, then it could eventually take over the mechanic's body, and create a lot of pain. That and Natsuki always complained that the strange red marking was 'itchy as hell.' So to hear that Natsuki had received _another _wound, greatly troubled the young blond.

"I'm fine." Natsuki said with a carefree smile. Erstin always worried too much, in her opinion. It was sweet, and for a moment, Natsuki wondered if Alyssa would be as worried about her as Erstin was. They looked so much a like, save Erstin's bright green eyes and timid nature, Natsuki sometimes wished she was Alyssa, so they could always be together. Shaking her head to dislodge such strange thoughts, Natsuki shrugged as she neared the still seated girl. "Just a few stitches, nothing too life threatening." Taking a seat next to the blond girl on the piano bench, Natsuki stroked the polished white keys. The tune was soft and light. Smiling in satisfaction, Natsuki was pleased to see the sutures did not hinder playing the piano. "How have you been?"

Mentally frowning at the older girl's carefree nature, Erstin kept silent. She knew Natsuki did not want her to worry, but she did, and she just hoped the older girl knew that. Leaning back on her arms Erstin listened to the soft melody, and the longer she listened, a smile began to form. In Aswad Village there was no piano, but she had always known Natsuki was a gifted musician; it was one of the reasons the mechanic got along well with the children of the village. The emerald eyed girl would always be playing music, be it a flute or the Erhu, both of which she played beautifully. So it was a great treat that Natsuki would often come in during her shift to play a few songs for Erstin since she loved the sound of the piano the most. "Eh, I can't complain. Especially not when Natsuki-chan is playing such a beautiful song."

Normally Natsuki would hate it when people added a suffix to her name. She did not like the classification that others would force upon her. Be it -kun, -chan, -san, or as Miyu loves to use, -sama. She just did not like it. It was a silly language quirk that stemmed from Zipang and infected the rest of Earl as Natsuki liked to think of it. Although that silly language quirk was apart of her heritage (her mother being a native of Zipang and she, herself being born there), Natsuki often refused to use those suffixes herself. She could understand why Miyu used it, since she was excavated from Zipang, but she just couldn't fathom why others--non native to Zipang--would use it. It seem like the younger generation especially, were prone to using those silly honorific titles too.

'_That mountain witch used them as well, but then again, she spoke in a strange dialect too.'_ Natsuki thought as she played absentmindedly. She briefly wondered if the mysterious lady with the ruby eyes ever got off that mountain, or if she got to where ever she was going. Perhaps she just lived there, Natsuki mused, but that couldn't be, since she was prone to falling and being attacked by wild dogs. Natsuki mentally smirked as she recalled how much trouble that honey haired lady had been, and how much trouble she had brought Natsuki. Nevertheless Natsuki lived through it, and she wasn't cursed, so it wasn't like she held a grudge against the ruby eyed woman. Maybe the mountain witch really did not live on that mountain, the mechanic wasn't sure, so she shrugged the thoughts aside. It wasn't like they were going to meet again anyways, so it was better to not linger on the unique woman.

"Don't use 'chan,'" Natsuki said as she continued to play, "just call me 'Natsuki' is fine." the musician said as she played another song from memory. The tune sounded different on the piano than it would on the Erhu, but it was still a beautiful song. This was Alyssa's favorite melody.

Thinking upon it, Natsuki smiled softly as her fingers continued to glide across the keyboard. It has been ages since she had last touched a piano. It was her mother's favorite instrument, and wanting to please her mother, Natsuki attended Aries Music Academy. It was rather amusing at the time, since Saeko loved music, but was a horrible singer and had no skills with an instrument at all. Thus Natsuki learned, and master every musical instrument she touched. Her sister Alyssa had the voice of an angel, and together, they were amazing. Saeko's two beautiful baby girls, were talented, and loving, and the pride and joy of the busy President at the time. So although Saeko was often busy at the office, and stressed with the affairs of the country, when she returned home, her little girls would always play music and sing for her, and Saeko would be able to relax. It was those calm, peaceful moments that would always flood Natsuki when ever she played an instrument, and she couldn't help but feel homesick.

Chuckling softly at Natsuki's insistence on dropping the '-chan,' Erstin leaned her head on the mechanic's right shoulder, and looked at her friend's profile. Used to the forlorn look the raven haired girl would wear when she played music, Erstin could not help but find the sight beautiful. Natsuki was a gorgeous woman, but the air of loss and longing that would radiate from her when she played, only increased her allure. However Erstin knew Natsuki only cared for her as a little sister, so to distract her thoughts, the blonde decided she needed a change in subject. "What do you plan on getting your little sister for her belated birthday present?" Erstin asked as she lazily closed her eyes to better listen to the music. Over the past few days she and Natsuki had kept in contact, and so she knew about the mechanic's plan to see her famous little sister, but she had no clue about the details. It was still amazing to her, that the famous Alyssa Kruger and Natsuki Kuga were sisters, but considering Natsuki's musical talent, Erstin readily believed it.

Natsuki did not say anything, but frowned, and continued to play with more passion. This was the dilemma…what to get someone who could afford anything they wanted, since there was no doubt, the ten year old was wealthier than both their salaries combined for the year, or even a lifetime. A few minutes passed, and Natsuki began a new song. HiME Instruments was mostly empty with only a few customers loitering around the guitar, and music book sections of the store, so they continued to enjoy the music in silence. It was another slow day for the shop, but Erstin didn't mind as she had such beautiful music to entertain her. "That's it!" the blond said with excitement sitting up straight.

Erstin's abruptness caused Natsuki to jolt, and for a moment she missed a note. Frowning slightly at being off key, Natsuki slowly stopped playing, and locked her green eyes on Erstin's olive green ones. "What's 'it'" Natsuki asked with a raised brow and annoyed voice. She was not so annoyed at being interrupted from the music she was playing, but from the memories she was reliving. For a moment there, she could have sworn it was Alyssa resting her head against her shoulder, not Erstin. The realization sent a cold stab into her heart, and frowning to hide her pain, Natsuki waited for the girl beside her to explain.

"You're music! You should record a few songs and give it to Alyssa-chan as a birthday gift. She'll love it, I'm sure! That way, when you can't be with her, she can listen to your music!" Nodding as if agreeing with herself, Erstin quickly moved from the piano bench and went to the back of the store. "I'll be just a moment!"

Watching her friend disappear around a corner, Natsuki cocked her head to the side in thought. It was a great idea to send Alyssa music, since it was probably the only thing she could send that would be of value to her sister, but what songs should she send? She knew Erstin was right, and she wanted to send something that would convey to Alyssa that she was never alone, but what song? _'Can a few song really fill the void of my absence?'_ Natsuki wondered. Frowning slightly, and shaking the thoughts away, Natsuki tried to ignore the emptiness she felt. No, a few songs would not be enough, but it would have to do until she could find a way around the restraining order.

In the meantime, she could send a few lullabies she used to sing to Alyssa when she was a child, that would be a good start. Or perhaps a few of Alyssa's favorite melodies would be better. Maybe she should just send a song written from her heart, telling her how much she missed her little sister, since that would be the best. There were just too many choices, and how was she supposed to record the melody in the first place?

True to blonde's word, she was back quickly with a new CD in hand. Smiling brightly, Erstin sat down next to the bewildered mechanic again. Placing the CD into the slot on the right side of the electronic piano, the younger woman grinned from ear to ear. "There! Now we can record all of your songs to send to Alyssa-chan!"

"This piano can record music?" Natsuki asked impressed. A firm nod was her answer, and smiling widely, the raven haired girl ruffled Erstin's short blond hair affectionately. "You're such a genius Ers! How many minutes can this record?"

"Hey!" Blushing faintly, Erstin giggled as she grabbed Natsuki's right hand and tried to stop her hair from being messed up. "The manager said it can record up to thirty minutes, so you better choose your songs wisely!" Pressing the appropriate keys, the blond began recording, as a little red light began to flash.

"Heh," Natsuki smiled happily as she turned back to the keyboard, "I know just the songs." Stroking the keys with passion, Natsuki began to play from her heart, and although she knew sending Alyssa a CD of music would never be enough, it would have to do for now.

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By the time Elysium's limo had arrived at the practice studio, it was past two o'clock in the afternoon. They were late, and thus, their studio room was already being used by another. The group of six women, one man, and a ten year old, had nothing to do but wait in the lobby for a free room. Elysium did not have to wait long, as all eyes turned to a group walking down the hall to the lobby area. They instantly recognized the new group, .cELLOMa2, heading their way, and Alyssa cringed at the familiar sight.

Taking the lead with boyfriend and group manager, Yuichi Tate, was Mai Tokiha, the lead cello, Chie noted with a weary smile. She had heard quite a bit about the upstart group; a quartet of friends that all played the cello. They were a group that mostly stayed in their home country of Cardair. However recently, they were sponsored by one of the princes of Cardair, to go on tour through out Earl. Mostly visiting the villages and smaller cities, .cELLOMa2 was beginning to make a name for themselves. Yet their popularity was mostly due to each of the members' social standing, than to their music, as .cELLOMa2 was often called 'Cello Princess' by the media.

As Chie's brown eyes looked over each member, she instantly recognized Mai, the Princess of Zipang, who was allegedly 'banished' after refusing a political marriage with the King of Florence. Next to Mai was Akane Kruts, Prince Kazuya Kruts' wife, who was also the sponsor of the group's tour. To the left of the royal couple was Mayo Kagura, the only child of Raquel Kagura, a famous actress, and Shion Tennoji, the daughter of the Vice President of the Republic of Aries. Bring up the back of the group was Masahi Takeda, a handsome man, with spiky black hair and a tanned complexion, his father is known as 'Earl's greatest Swordsmen.' However the woman next to him caused Chie to gasp with wide eyes. There sauntered Aoi Senoh, the daughter of humble business man, she was the least famous member, in fact, she was never mentioned before.

Rubbing her eyes, Chie had to do a double take to be sure it really was Aoi Senoh. It was. It really was the haughty, modest, sweet girl, from Aries Music Academy, that Chie had met almost three years ago. The brunette was the only one that was immune to Chie's charm back then, and although it was surprising to be slapped by the girl, Chie couldn't help but be attracted to the blue eyed beauty. Perhaps it was because Aoi presented a challenge, or maybe it was because she felt her pride wounded when she was slapped, Chie did not know. However she did know that ever since their encounter years ago, she has always been thinking of the younger girl, wondering _'what if?' _

Seeing the group near, the carbon haired woman gulped as she felt her skin flush. That old man at Kala Mountain may have been right when he said, "just by wearing the simple love charm, she will find her true love." Rubbing her sweaty palms on her pants legs, she gave a nervous smile. Chie was sure her true love was Aoi Senoh. She had years to prove that this suspicion was wrong, but no matter what she did and whom she dated, her thoughts and heart, always lead back to the blue eyed brunette. Chie knew she was meant to be with Aoi; she just had to convince Aoi of that. How hard could that be?

Standing to meet the other group, Reito greeted the rival group with a smile. He had been wanting to schedule a meeting with them, and now, here was his chance. "Hello, my name is Reito Kanzaki, I'm the manager of Elysium," Reito said easily, and soon the rest of Elysium stood as well. "It's such a pleasure to finally meet the members of .cELLOMa2! Today must be our lucky day."

"It's an honor to be in the presence of Elysium!" Yuichi said as he shook hands with Reito. "We didn't think a famous group, such as yourselves, would be using this establishment too. It really is a coincidence to meet each other, isn't it?"

"Elysium has been a patron of Windy Studios for years, so really it's like a second home to us." Reito said as he glanced over the members of .cELLOMa2. "Forgive my rudeness, allow me to introduce my colleagues and friends." Stepping to the side, the raven haired man motioned to his friends with a charming smile on his face. "This is Anh Lu, on first violin. Shizuru Fujino, second violin. Chie Hallard, on cello. Yukino Chrysant, on viola. Head of Security, Haruka Armitage. Alyssa Kruger, Elysium's voice, and her guardian, Miyu." No one noticed the sad tone Reito used when he spoke of Miyu, but no one really cared, they were too interested in .cELLOMa2. Ever since the foul-up of hindering the cyan haired woman in the limo, Reito had been treated coldly and completely ignored. It was painful that his crush was doing this to him, but forcing his feelings aside, Reito plastered on one of his brightest smiles. After the concert tour ends, he would make it up to Miyu on their trip to Aswad Village, and hopefully he will still have a chance to be with the silent beauty.

Nodding to the members of Elysium in greetings, Yuichi introduced the members of his group. "My name is Yuichi Tate, I'm the manager of .cELLOMa2, and this is my girlfriend, Mai Tokiha. She plays the lead cello along with Akane Kruts, Mayo Kagura, and our new member, Aoi Senoh. Prince Kazuya Kruts has been kind enough to sponsor our tour, and is here to support his wife Akane. Also we have our head of security Masashi Takeda, and Shion Tennoji, on keyboard and programming."

During the introductions Alyssa stood partially behind Miyu's leg, and clutched on to her guardian's black dress. Chie was at a lost for words and never broke eye contact with her long time crush, despite the blank look Aoi would give her. The rest of the combined groups were readily mingling with each other to notice Chie's lack of breathing, and Alyssa's annoyed frown.

"It's good to see you again, Alyssa-chan, Miyu-san." the girls of .cELLOMa2 said to the two at various intervals. However it was Mai that continued to try and speak with the little girl, despite being ignored by the blond child. "It's quite a surprise to see you here, Alyssa-chan. How are you? Have you spoken to Tsuki-chan lately?"

Glaring at Mai's crouched form, Alyssa scowled at the red head, as she was reminded of her earlier mistake. "That's none of your business! Don't think that because you know Onee-chan, that you can be so familiar with me!" the child said as she pushed Mai away from her and ran down the hall.

"Forgive Ojou-sama's lapse in behavior, Mai-hime-sama. She is under stress, and is currently in a foul mood." Bowing deeply, Miyu resisted the urge to run to her Angel. She had to first apologize, and hopefully Mai was still the patient and kind person Miyu knew. It was never good to disrespect the princess of one's home country, so Miyu had to apologize first.

Brushing herself off, and ignoring the stares of both groups, Mai smiled easily. "Eh, don't worry about it Miyu-san. And please! Stop addressing me as 'hime-sama!' We've known each other for years, so there is no need for formalities. Besides, I've already given up that title, so I'm not your princess anymore." Lilac eyes sparkled as she watched Miyu rise from the deep bow and nod in understanding. Really it has been too long since they had last seen and spoken to each other. "Anyways I know Alyssa-chan is under stress. I feel bad for her. So," rummaging in her over the shoulder bag, Mai pulled out a CD and handed to the cyan haired maid, "I got her this. It's from all of us, and we hope it will make Alyssa-chan feel better. Especially about her sister."

Seeing Mai's bright smile, and the nodding faces of the rest of .cELLOMa2, Miyu bowed once more in gratitude. "Thank you." With a small smile, Miyu turned and nodded to the rest of Elysium, and headed down the hallway to find Alyssa.

Curious, Chie regarded the orange haired leader in wonder. "I didn't know you knew Alyssa-chan. She's never mentioned any of you before." Locking brown eyes on Aoi's stoic profile, Chie sighed. It seemed that perhaps that love charm doesn't work after all, and that convincing Aoi that they were meant for each other was going to be harder than she thought.

"Ah," Mayo said, as she scratched her cheek awkwardly, "we all attended Aries Music Academy together with Alyssa-chan's sister, well except Masashi-kun that is."

"Usually Alyssa-chan is a very well mannered child. Rather subdued and collected in temperament. I had never seen her lash out like that before." Anh said more to herself than anyone else, as she held her chin and looked down the hallway. Turning light blue eyes to gaze at each member of the cello group, Anh shrugged, and bid the rival group goodbye before heading off to find Alyssa too.

"Ara, ara," Shizuru spoke softly as she shook her head at it all. After Alyssa has pushed the other girl down, the entire lobby was left in silence. Even though Miyu apologized, it seemed that both groups were a bit unsure of what to do next. Not wanting to continue to stand in the lobby, since her ankle was still a bit sore, even with the brace, Shizuru smiled to try to put both groups at ease. "Alyssa-chin has been rather depressed lately. I hope you will not hold her actions against you, Mai-dono." Seeing the others turn to her, Shizuru smiled warmly at them. Although Mai Tokiha had refused the title of Zipang's Princess, she was still a princess of Zipang, Shizuru's home country, and she respected Mai.

Smiling and shrugging off the concern, Mai rubbed the back of her neck. "It's okay, really. Alyssa-chan may not look like her sister, but they have a similar personality." Mai spoke softly. Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, Mai smiled at the rest of Elysium. "Well it was nice meeting all of you. I wish you success on you end of tour concert this Saturday!"

Exchanging wishes of good luck, the two groups parted ways. However before Elysium was too far away, Mai hollered back, "Hey!" thus causing the departing group to pause before they turned the corner. "I was wondering if you guys wanted to attend a karaoke party with us Sunday night?" Mai asked, as the two groups were ten feet away.

Looking at each of the present group members, Reito eloquently shrugged and smile back. "I suppose that could be arranged."

"Great!" Mai said happily, "I'll send you more information and the location later!" Waving and rushing off to her waiting group members, Mai hugged her boyfriend's arm as they walked out together.

--

**--**

After practicing at Windy Studios for five hours, Elysium decided to call it quits and head out to dinner. However Shizuru politely refused, as her ankle was beginning to bother her, and Alyssa was still in a sour mood. Thus dropping Shizuru, Alyssa and Miyu off at the tall apartment building, the rest of Elysium headed out to dinner.

Making their way to the fourteenth floor, the three rode the elevator in silence. Shizuru was in room 1416, and Miyu and Alyssa resided in room 1418 next door. It was an arrangement that worked well for the apartment building, and even better for Elysium, since all of their members lived on the same floor. It was a convenient 'security measure,' as Haruka would often call it, since it would be easiest to oversee the safety of each member, as they were all close together. Anh was in room 1403, Chie in room 1405 next door. Reito was in room 1410, and Yukino and Haruka resided in room 1411 across the hall from him.

Taking the apartment keys out, Shizuru stopped at her door to bid her fellow members goodnight. However upon turning to face the two, ruby eyes took in Alyssa's down cast orbs, and Miyu's silent worried frown, causing Shizuru to pause. Throughout practice Alyssa had been withdrawn and quiet. Nevertheless her singing was still spot on, but Shizuru knew it had a hint of sadness to it that was not usually present. Watching the two make their way past her, to their apartment door, Shizuru call out. "Ne, Alyssa-chin, Miyu-han, would you like to join me for a cup of tea?" Shizuru offered warmly. She did not have much to offer, but she felt she had to do something to help the girl out. It was no secret that Alyssa was her favorite. The blonde girl was adorably cute, but not childish, so Shizuru couldn't help but love the child like a sibling she never had. Thus to see the girl's forlorn mood, the Kyoto woman wanted to help.

Looking up slowly to meet inviting russet eyes, Alyssa frowned sadly; it was the same concerned look Natsuki-onee-chan would give her. It seemed that all day she was being reminded of her sister, and it only served to make her feel colder inside. She knew that Shizuru-onee-chan was worried about her, and everyone was too, but she just didn't seem to care anymore. She just wanted her Onee-chan, why was that so difficult? Shaking her little head 'no,' Alyssa did not bother to hide her feeling and fake a smile. Instead she was just going to walk away, when Miyu's clear voice accepted the offer.

"Thank you, Shizuru-san, we would love to, if it's not too much trouble." This caused Alyssa to halt, and look from her guardian, to the woman she considered a sister with a frown. Didn't Miyu realize that she didn't want to be bothered? Nevertheless the soft look Shizuru was giving her, caused Alyssa too, to accept the offer of tea without complaint.

"Of course not, please, enter." Nodding to the sky blue haired woman, and smiling warmly at the child, Shizuru ushered the two in. Motioning them to the soft, micro fiber tanned couch, Shizuru left them to enter the kitchenette and prepare tea. Quickly filling the kettle with water, and placing it on the burner, Shizuru waited for the water to boil. As she waited, crimson eyes wandered around the open kitchen to the sitting duo on the couch. The two were engaged in soft conversation, and Shizuru hoped whatever Miyu was saying would help lighten Alyssa's depressed mood.

Sitting in the living room, Alyssa stared dejectedly at the glass coffee table with Miyu by her side, and remained silent. Endlessly patient and understanding when it came to Alyssa, Miyu watched her Angel continue to withdraw sadly. Knowing she had to do something to put the girl at ease, Miyu placed a warm hand atop of Alyssa's golden head. "Ojou-sama has not been herself as of late. It worries me, that I am unable to aid, Ojou-sama."

Touching Miyu's hand at top her head, Alyssa slowly turned to face her guardian. "Miyu…" Alyssa spoke softly as she held Miyu's hand gently. No longer looking up into red pools, the ten year old stared at their clasped hands. "I'm sorry. But I just want to see Onee-chan."

Seeing the sapphire eyed girl refuse to meet her gaze, Miyu sighed. She could tell her Ojou-sama was deeply upset, and she knew only Natsuki-sama would be able to make Alyssa happy. However unlike Alyssa, Miyu knew why Natsuki could not see the girl, and it pained her to keep it a secret from her charge. "Ne, Alyssa-Ojou-sama," Miyu spoke softly and gently squeezed the blonde's little hand, "Mai-sama wanted to give this to you." Handing the CD case to Alyssa, Miyu hoped the gift would help cheer the singer up. Miyu loved Alyssa's singing voice, but when the girl was sad, it only made Miyu sad too.

Taking the CD case from Miyu's outstretched hand, Alyssa was tempted to just throw the thing away. After all, she was still upset at Mai Tokiha to accept a gift from the girl. However upon reading the label of the CD, caused the singer think otherwise. _"_Aries Music Academy: MNM._" 'MNM…that was Onee-chan's group when she was still living in Aries with us.' _Alyssa thought as her breath hitched and her hands shook. MNM meant Mai, Natsuki, Mayo. It was their group's name, the one they formed back in middle school. Looking up to meet Miyu's warm orbs, Alyssa threw herself into waiting arms. "Miyu!"

Watching from over the bar top of the kitchen, Shizuru's ruby orbs turned away from the private moment. Turing off the tea kettle, and preparing the tea, the hostess carried the tray into the living room with an easy smile. It was good to see that Alyssa was feeling better, or at lease she was on better terms with Miyu. It was odd enough that the two had not spoken much to each other all day, so Shizuru was glad to see the two had managed to make up. "Tea?" Shizuru asked as she gracefully poured the amber liquid into each cup.

Taking a seat in the lone recliner, perpendicular to the loveseat, and to the left of the sofa, Shizuru calmly sipped at the hot beverage. She always needed a nice, hot cup of tea, or three, to end a day. As ruby eyes roamed around the spacious apartment, Shizuru noticed a CD case on the ten year old's lap. She did not recall seeing the girl enter with the item, but perhaps that is the thing that cheered the girl up.

Cradling the warm cup between her hands, Alyssa smiled as she felt the warmth seep into her hands and travel up her arms. It felt nice, and for the first time in days, Alyssa felt lighter. She supposed it was because of the gift Mai had sent, and even though she still did not like Mai at the moment, she was glad to have something that reminded her of Natsuki-Onee-chan.

Ever since she had discovered that her father had gotten rid of everything that her sister had owned, and the pictures of them together, Alyssa has been feeling down. So with Miyu as her legal guardian away from home, and determined to never return to Aries so long as her mother refused to recognize her, Alyssa would live in Windbloom Kingdom. The ten year old was determined to continue to live with the group members of Elysium, and she had even signed the lease to her apartment for the next year too. So it would be just her and Miyu living together, with Shizuru-onee-chan, and Reito-onii-chan, and Chie-san, and Anh-san, and Haruka-san, and Yukino-san as her neighbors. It was good this way. This way, she would always be surrounded by the people that cared for her.

Now all she had to do was perform good at the concert on Saturday, and Reito-onii-chan will take her and Miyu to Aswad Village, and she would finally be able to be reunited with Natsuki-Onee-chan. Being depressed and difficult will not allow her to see Onee-chan sooner, so it was better to be happy for those around her. After all, they cared, and worried about her too. Nodding to herself, as if to engrave the plan into her mind, Alyssa smiled into the warm tea mug.

"Ara~!" Shizuru softly exclaimed happily, "It is so good to see Alyssa-chin's familiar smile again. I was beginning to wonder if Alyssa-chin had lost it somewhere in Aries." Placing the empty tea mug on the coffee table, Shizuru smiled warmly at the blushing ten year old. "Welcome back, Alyssa-chin. Your smile is far cuter than your sulking frown."

Embarrassed by the light teases, Alyssa stared down into the tea mug, and waited for her blush to subside. It felt good to hear how much Shizuru-onee-chan was worried about her, and no doubt the others were as well. However the blonde child couldn't help but wonder if Onee-chan would be worried too, if she saw her in such a depressed state. Smiling softly, Alyssa knew, Natsuki-Onee-chan would be very worried if she knew. Meeting soft ruby eyes, a shade darker than Miyu's, Alyssa smiled softly. "Thank you, Shizuru-onee-chan. I am sorry to have made you worry, and you too, Miyu." Locking her gaze with her charge, Miyu smiled warmly, and nodded in understanding.

Re-filling Miyu's mug, and her own, Shizuru cupped her cheek and smiled. "Ara, if I had known earlier that I only had to offer a cup of tea to Alyssa-chin to cheer her up, I would have done so ages ago." Although she was joking, Shizuru was glad she made the two guests smile. "However I know not everyone is as fanatic, or as enthusiastic, about tea as I am. So perhaps it was not due to the tea, that Alyssa-chin has been feeling better, no?"

Giggling at the brunette's airy behavior, Alyssa gave a big grin, the kind she usually wore around her sister, and spoke just as lightly. "Well in all honesty, Shizuru-onee-chan, tea is not my favorite drink. I actually prefer melon cream soda, but sadly it is only made in Aries. So I guess you are correct, it was not your tea that cheered me up."

Amused by the little girl, and noticing Miyu also had an adoring face as she watch Alyssa, Shizuru couldn't help but laugh lightly. "Ara, ara…what am I to do with you then? Perhaps Miyu will be a better tea companion, no?" Watching the blonde child chuckled and glance up at her pale companion, as if silently asking if she would be Shizuru's tea companion, Shizuru's smile grew. The girl was just too cute! "Well do tell me, what was it that cheered the lady up? If not my special tea?"

Grinning playfully, Alyssa spoke as if the answer was obvious, and rolled large blue eyes playfully. "It was my Onee-chan of course!" Proudly showing off the CD case, Alyssa smirked as she allowed the honey haired woman to take the CD case. "Onee-chan's a talented musician! She often won awards at the Academy for the songs she composed."

"Ara, is that so?" Shizuru said as she read the label of the CD. _'MNM'?_ "Shall we listen to your Onee-chan then? I would like to hear her play, if I may?" Smiling proudly, Alyssa nodded her head quickly. She too wanted to listen to the CD, and she was even happier to have Shizuru-onee-chan listen with Miyu and herself.

Moving from the recliner to the stereo built into the wall, Shizuru placed the CD in, and pressed 'play.' Soon the melody began to play, and red eyes widen in surprise as she recognized the instrument. "That's an erhu, isn't it?" Seeing the two on the couch nod in confirmation, Shizuru smiled a bit, and reached for the mug of tea. Closing ruby eyes to better listen to the music, the hostess leaned back into the recliner. The song was lovely, and calming, and even a bit romantic. When the first song was finish, another started, and this one was different than the first. Gone was the erhu, replaced by the koto, sangen, jushichi-gen, biwa, and shakuhachi. It sounded amazing, and once again, Shizuru was impressed to hear such ancient, and traditional instruments from Zipang, being played with a modern contemporary upbeat. It made her smile, and wonder, _'just who is Alyssa-chin's sister?'_

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AN:

1. To those that may not know what a Erhu is, it is apart of the Huquin family of bowed string instruments used in Chinese music. It consists of a round sound box at the bottom with a stick attached that protrudes upwards. There are two strings, with two horizontal tuning pegs, one for each string. The bow passes in between the two strings to produce the music. That type of instrument is common throughout Eastern Asia and can be found in almost every country. It's a rather neat instrument, and I absolutely love the music it produces.

Sangen = Shamisen

jushichi-gen = 17 string Koto, it has a deeper pitch, the 'bass koto.'

Biwa = lute

Shakuhachi = it's like the recorder. *shrugs* I'm sorry, I'm too lazy to describe all these instruments at the moment. Google is great, go for it. :]

Also if anyone is wondering, please check out Rin'. This is the group that I based Natsuki's 'MNM' group off of. They are also very amazing!

2. For anyone wondering what songs Natsuki played, please check out "Soba ni iru ne" and "Koko ni iru yo" by Thelma Aoyama. They are great songs, and the piano version was a great inspiration to me.

3. .cELLOMa2 is pronounced 'cello mama' and was inspired by the group Apocalyptica. Check them out, they are simply au'some!

4. Okay, thanks in advance for reading and reviewing. Also many thanks goes out to my wonderful Beta, Balticbard! I totally forgot to mention that in the last chapter, but I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out how to fix it after I submitted the chapter. I'm sorry Bara-san! And thank you to all that has faved/alerted this story. I can only hope that I continue to impress you with is nonsensical story. (big grin) See you next update, tell then, take care!

-Jyuami


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